


The Calm Before the Storm

by McNuggets



Series: IZ Mafia AU [1]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Character Death, Competent Zim (Invader Zim), Demons, F/M, Mafia AU, Zim joins the mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:02:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McNuggets/pseuds/McNuggets
Summary: During a plan, Zim is faced with the truth of his mission. Displaced, he decides to follow that plan anyway and becomes involved with the mafia, where he comes to terms with his own faults and tries to redeem himself.
Relationships: Zim (Invader Zim)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: IZ Mafia AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944787
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> This story idea is an original work, but I did some switching and now it's mostly in the Invader Zim universe but with a tonne of OCs. Have fun.

Years worth of isolation wasn’t good for anyone, not even an Irken.

Not that Zim couldn’t help it. It was clear that his cover would have been blown once the other kids at school began to show height. Even the Dib-thing had been growing. It was nearly disgusting, how humans were able to grow to such heights while he was stuck at being so tiny. They didn’t deserve to be so tall, while he was cursed to never grow an inch. Yes, his problem could be rectified easily. He knew of ways to increase his height, but doing so would be illegal to the empire itself, and he was the last person alive who would do anything to slight the Empire in any way. He was left with his ire and jealousy, and more and more plans to try and conquer Earth for his Tallests.

Though, taking it over was harder than he thought it to be. He had nearly ten years of examples spitting in his face over every attempt on the planet. They were always brought down by his only nemesis, or they were flawed in some way (because in no way whatsoever was it _his own_ fault.) He had to actually sit back for once and think about another way to go about his plans, something different and new that he had never tried, something that would bring him pride and make his leaders pleased.

It took him months of planning, discarding, recovering, fixing, regrouping, simulating, only to come up with nothing. It was almost unbearable. Then he thought of other things he could do, something he never tried. He began to come up with many ideas, but nothing was more perfect than using Earth’s humans against them. It was sitting there, staring at him in the face. _Humans_. Earth’s humans. He could easily experiment on a human, capture them, trap them and perform numerous tests to find the perfect one for his plans. There were so many humans in the world that no one would notice if a few had gone missing. But, they couldn’t be just any humans. They had to be _special_. Humans that actually qualified to be the best of the best, physically apt for stamina and strength, a warrior in their own right. If he could find a human near that caliber, then it would be perfect, wouldn’t it?

It was easy to find those kinds of humans, Earth made it easy by advertising their own military. The ‘armee’ and the ‘mareens’ were the best examples of physically fit humans, but were they perfect for his experiments? Were they able to be used against their own kind? He set himself onto that task to find the perfect experiment. Though, it proved to be harder than he thought it’d be.

The first human had the stamina and strength, but he didn’t last longer than a week. He dropped like an insect.

The second human seemed to be better, but he didn’t survive a day.

The pattern continued, and Zim wondered if it was his experimenting or the humans. Were these humans too soft, or were they too weak? They had no regeneration abilities to speak of, they didn’t heal at the rate Irkens did. They were too fragile, in mind and in body. Though, he didn’t care about their mind. Minds were easy to manipulate and tear apart, he could build them a newer and better consciousness with chemicals and patience, but it was their _bodies_. Humans were bags of flesh and too soft. Was there even a perfect human out there? No, there had to be. The species couldn’t have survived on blind luck alone.

So, Zim set himself on a search. He wouldn’t be able to cover the entirety of Earth’s populace with just himself, so he put himself to task on creating something that could. Scanner bots, nearly millions of them, made to look like harmless insects, mosquitos. Set them out onto the planet and gather their intel. The bots would be able to cover more ground than he could, in every country around the world.

The information he received once the bots began their task was varied. It was nearly exhausting with how many humans there were on the planet. There were more humans than Irkens, and he hated to think that if they were smarter, they would be able to take down the Irken Empire.

It was, though, a single scan that came back as abnormal. There it was, the one single human that stood out among the rest…but…

“This isn’t a human.”

It was right there on his tablet, the human was perfect, but the DNA labelled it as something else entirely.

There was another alien on Earth? Was it a refugee from a conquering or another invader of another race? He needed to know more.

“Computer, take the scan result and compare it to the species index on file.”

“PROCESSING… … THE SCAN GENETIC CODE HAS NO MATCH.”

“No match?” Zim double-checked the tablet, “But that’s impossible! Every known species is in that index!”

No, the tablet was telling him that it wasn’t.

This wasn’t something he expected. No, this was actually something better. The fact that there was a foreign species on the planet meant amazing things, more chances for experimentation. His leaders would be happy if he were to catch that alien and send it to them himself. He would be glorified and praised, possibly given a piñata and snacks.

“Computer, call the Massive!” Zim commanded, bouncing on his heels in glee.

The larger screen in front of him became nothing but static, until there was an Irken symbol, red against a black backdrop.

_“Uh…are we recording?”_

_“Recording, my Tallests!”_

_“Oh finally.”_

Zim blinked, wondering why there wasn’t a signal. “What?”

_“Zim, if you’re listening to this then we’ve finally gotten tired of you.”_ Tallest Red’s voice was first, followed by a snicker from his second.

_“Yeah, it was pretty fun at first, humoring you like this, but it’s getting old and I don’t wanna play anymore.”_

“What’s the meaning of this?” Zim cried out.

_“I bet he’s confused.”_ Tallest Purple said, _“I bet you’re confused now, are you? Wondering about your mission? Is that it?”_

_“There was no mission, Zim. No mission to begin with, we just wanted you out of the way. Oh, Operation Impending Doom Two is over now, has been for a while. We’ve done so much without you in our way.”_

Something inside of Zim seemed to crack, and he only stared up at the screen, listening to his world come crashing down.

_“This is just a recording by the way, we’ve completely blocked your number and you won’t be able to contact us anymore. Good riddance, anyway.”_ Purple sounded…. _happy_.

What was this?

_“Hope you die in a fire bye!!”_

_“Cut the recording.”_

The Irken symbol vanished back into static.

Zim didn’t know how long he had stood in the same spot, staring at the same screen. He replayed the recording at least twelve times, never looking away, though the longer he listened the more his body began to shake. Their laughter was the only thing he could register after a while, all of it burning into his subconscious and sparking up a small blaze of hatred.

They were laughing.

_At him._

Everything had been a joke. A complete lie.

His Tallests didn’t want him, they never had.

They never will.

He felt deceived. Used. Hurt. Betrayed. Scorned. Hateful. Loathing. Disgusted. Sickened.

Two days later he finally moved from the spot he was in, having inwardly decided something.

“Fine.” He said mostly to no-one. “All of this is fine.” He began to laugh, slow and quiet at first before it began to increase, becoming more hysterical and louder, until he cut it off completely, his hands slamming onto the control panel in front of him.

“Computer. Change of plans.”

* * *

The woman hurried herself down the stairway, muttering to herself as she raced down the steps and into the metro station. “Hold on, hold on, hold on.” She repeated to herself, taking out her metro card and using it quickly. The metro bus was nearly closing its doors, making her run at breakneck speed and leaping over someone’s luggage as she nearly caught her hand into the door, shoving it back open. She shimmied her way inside, allowing the door to close in her wake and letting out a small sigh. Those who were watching her run down the station were staring at her, mainly the umbrella strapped to her back. It wasn’t even a rainy day today, no cloud in the sky.

She ignored the stares and found a small place to sit, taking off her umbrella and sitting it down between her legs before taking an earbud hanging from her top and placing it back in her ear. She knew there was someone watching her but she didn’t pay it any mind, it was a large city, people were always watching you for some reason or another. Heavy rock music blared in her ear while she sat leaning on the umbrella with her blue eye shut, the right side covered by an eyepatch. Yes, staring was always a possibility because of her eyepatch, and it was more possible for someone to ask questions about it. ‘How did you lose your eye?’, ‘Did you get into a fight?’, she had every question imaginable. It was always answered with vague words and a shrug, keeping to the lie that it was a kitchen accident.

When the bus began to slow Saffron opened her eye again, taking a look at the surroundings. This was where she wanted to be. She stood up when a select few people did the same, hooking the umbrella onto her back and heading to the door. Still, someone was watching her. She shrugged it off, continuing in a relaxed manner out of the station. At her hip was a bag, what she wore was merely a blue tank top and jeans, a pair of converse and her hair was braided behind her. When she made her way back onto the street she gave a good look around the area, breathing a sigh when she saw that it was clear and making her way down the sidewalk.

A few people recognized her, nodding her way and she smiled in return, holding up a peace sign as she passed, her eye still scanned the street, as if she was keeping on the look out for someone or something.

Those eyes that were on her were still there, and she casually turned back to look around, noticing a person. No, a figure. A tall figure, wearing a hoodie (in the middle of summer) with the hood obstructing his face, she saw him before on the metro bus. She was good at detail, having noticed him out of the corner of her eye. Saffron turned away as quickly as she turned back, her eye rolling as she let out a sigh. She assumed she would be safe, but no.

The woman turned the corner as soon as she hit an alleyway and decided to take the first ladder up to the roof of a building. She leaned over the edge and gazed downward, watching the figure step into the alleyway and look around, looking back, before looking up. Saffron ducked back, her heart pounding before she took a deep breath. When she didn’t hear the metal clang she stepped away, heading to the other edge of the roof and parkouring herself to the next building. She had somewhere to be.

Three buildings later Saffron parkoured herself onto the roof of a shop, hopping down onto a trash bin and landing onto the pavement. She grinned smoothly, not feeling the eyes on her anymore. Casually, she entered the shop and browsed around, picking up a small snack and a bottled water. After paying she left, hiding the snack away in her bag before opening the water. It was the middle of summer in the city, something she both loved and hated.

Her destination was in plain sight, and she chuckled, taking her earbud out of her ear and hooking it into her shirt. She entered the small bar, the bell overhead jingling to alert them of her arrival. The owner stilled at the sight of her and Saffron only smiled at him. “Hey Marcus.” She said pleasantly, “I’d like the usual.”

Marcus, a middle-aged man with graying blonde hair, nodded nervously at her, watching as she made her way to the farthest spot at the bar and looking away quickly. His demeanor had become jumpy, and the waitress who had seen her became nervous as well, although hiding it well from the other customers.

Saffron hummed to herself, taking out her phone and pulling up her messenger, typing in a small message before turning her phone over. She could hear the tinny sound of the rock music coming from the strap of her top and she hummed along, taking another drink out of her water bottle.

The bell alerted her to another customer and her eye flickered up, noticing a peculiar sight. A tall man, dark hair, wearing a hoodie… Her eye lingered onto the stranger, someone she recognized to be the figure from before, however now his face was exposed. Dark hair, tan skin. When he looked her way she averted her gaze, but it was too late. The stranger grinned and headed over to her, pulling up a seat next to her at the bar.

“Hey.” He said, as if they knew each other.

Saffron glanced over at him, tilting her head. “Do I know you?”

“I doubt it.” He told her, still looking her over, “Mind if I buy you a drink?”

“I don’t drink, it’d be a waste of money.”

“Hmm,” He made a show of thinking, and Saffron noticed that his eyes were violet. “That’s a shame. There goes my plan.” He didn’t sound sad about it.

“Your plan?” Saffron chuckled, “The ol’ ‘man buys woman a drink and woman gives him her number’ plan?” Her eye glittered in amusement, “I don’t even know you.”

“I know you don’t, but you could.” The man countered, “Aren’t you the least bit curious?”

Saffron lifted her water to take another drink, looking him over. He wasn't even sweating! How could he wear that in the heat? “I’m curious as to why you’re wearing a hoodie in 100 degree weather.” She mused.

“Uh…” He looked at her nervously, pulling on a wide grin, “ _Fashion_.”

Sounded about right, in this city people will do whatever to look fashionable. “You pull it off, at least. The lack of sweat stains makes it better.”

“Miss Saffron.” A voice interrupted their conversation, and Saffron looked up at the owner. He smiled at her, handing the woman a small paper bag. “Here’s your order, have a good day.”

Saffron pulled on her own smile, instantly forgetting who she was talking to. “I hope it’s enough.” She said then.

The man nodded quickly, “It’s more than enough. Please, have a good day.”

Zim watched the exchange, how the man looked extremely jittery and nervous just by talking to her, and how Saffron didn’t seem to bat an eyelash. Was she this intimidating to other humans? What on Irk was she?

When Saffron got up from her seat Zim followed, only stopping once they were out the door. Saffron had tucked the paper bag into her bigger bag and turned to look at him. “Why are you following me?” She asked.

“Just curious.” He commented, “Your name is Saffron, huh?”

The woman narrowed her eye some and looked him over again. No, he didn’t look like any of _his_ men. Was he just stupid or a cop? Possibly a cop.

“Yes.” She said then, “I didn’t catch yours.”

“Uh…Z—anthony.” He quickly changed course. “Zanthony.”

“Zanthony.” What a stupid fake name. “I have to go now, Zanthony.”

“WAIT!” He caught her arm just as she turned away, “C-can I at least get your number?”

She quirked a brow, “…why?”

Zim thought hard about it, “Because you’re attractive and I would like to get to know you.” It sounded rehearsed, almost sad.

Saffron gave him a fake smile, “We just met, if you want to get to know me then meet me over there tomorrow.” She pointed him over to the small shop she was at earlier. “I’ll come by around nine.” Or never.

Zim looked skeptical, looking from her to the shop, nodding after a while. “Sure.” He wasn’t planning on doing it, just like she wasn’t planning on being there.

The woman looked down at his hand and waited for him to let go of her arm, “See you.” She left him alone after that, heading down the street. She didn’t want to deal with Zanthony, whoever he was.

The man didn’t follow her, from what she knew, and by the time she made it back to the metro station it was becoming dusk. She sighed, entering the bus and finding a lonely seat. Again, she was listening to her rock music, patting the side of her bag with her hand while her foot twitched along to the beat.

Two men in another car caught sight of her through the windows, speaking to each other and watching her while the bus continued to move. Before it slowed, she stood up, smiling when the doors opened. When she left, the two men decided to follow, leaving from their end.

Saffron had her umbrella in her hand while she made her way down the street, the rock music still blaring in her ear, but she could feel the eyes on her. Of course, she thought to herself, turning the corner to enter an abandoned alleyway. She didn’t escape this time, shrugging her bag off her shoulder and setting it aside.

As expected, the two men had entered, blocking the only exit and laughing to themselves.

Saffron smiled thinly, “You two are new, are you?”

“All we want is the money.” One of them said, “We know you have it.”

These were the ones she was running from earlier today, she realized. It was a shame, she couldn’t have done anything in broad daylight. “You’re really going to corner a poor defenseless woman? How rude.”

“Defenseless my ass.” The second one took out a knife, “We heard about you. They call you a demon.” He snorted, “Hah, I don’t see anything scary about you.”

“You two _are_ new.” Saffron looked amused, twirling her umbrella. “Come at me, I guess.”

The first one took out an even bigger knife, grinning. “Oh this is too easy, I can’t believe they told us to off this bitch.”

They’re obviously using me to take you down a peg, she thought idly. “You have weapons? Aw, all I have is this umbrella.” She twisted the handle and slid it open, a long blade exposing itself from the umbrella.

One of the men stopped for a fraction of a second, “She’s got a fucking sword.”

“I doubt she can use it, come on. If we kill her we’re gonna be respected.”

“ _If_ we can kill her, I doubt people carry swords for the fun of it.”

“Oh come on you pussy, she’s only using it for show! She can’t do—“

The sword came rushing at them and stuck to the wall right between to their heads.

“Say that again.” Saffron smiled, amused. “Please.”

The second man cried out in horror and jumped away, “That almost —“

The first man, however, grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out of the wall. “You won’t get this back bitch!” He looked triumphant to have her only weapon, though when Saffron chuckled again the second man looked nervous.

“She’s not scared…”

“I’d listen to your friend.” Saffron told him, holding out her palm, “Though I’d also like my umbrella back.”

Suddenly, the sword jerked in the man’s grip, causing him to cry out as the weapon ripped itself from his grasp and returned to its owner. His eyes widened and they both stilled, watching her smile at them. “No way!” The second man cried, “You’re some kind of a freak!”

“I’ve been called worse.” Saffron sighed, looking bored now. “Are we going to keep doing this, or am I going to get serious?”

“I’m not fuckin’ scared of you!” The first man snarled, stepping forward. “If I take you down they’ll make me the boss, they even said it! I want that position bitch and you won’t stop me.”

Saffron finally began to laugh, “Oh this has to be either the best hazing ritual they’ve come up with or the worst practical joke they could give me, but sure, if you want to prove you’re a big man, then try it.” She spread her arms out, “I’ll give you the first blow.”

He didn’t wait, charging at her as fast as he could, Saffron only standing still and waiting. She didn’t appreciate being used as a hazing ritual to the rookies, but it wasn’t like she could go to _them_ and tell them to stop. They all wanted her dead in some way, shape, or fashion.

As soon as the man got close enough Saffron smirked and jumped out of the way right as he swung for her, spinning around to slam her leg in his side and kick him away. He was winded when she did that, only gritting his teeth in response and charging at her again. Instead of dodging, she caught his fist and twisted his arm back to throw him further.

The attempts continued to repeat themselves, the man trying to stab her while Saffron continued to evade, block, or attack him in return. By the time she kicked him away for the ninth time she looked almost tired. “I want to go back home now, are we done yet?”

What Saffron didn’t know was that while the first man was attacking her, the second had made his way to the back of the alley, and at the sound of a gun cocking Saffron stilled, the sound was right next to her ear.

“Nice to know we’re better at this than the demon.” The second man grinned.

Before Saffron could react there was a guttural cry from above, effectively catching both men off guard before someone launched himself down onto the second man. The gun went off as soon as it hit the ground, the shot going into Saffron’s right shoulder. She cried out and whipped around, holding the wound as it bled but staring as a familiar sight from earlier was slamming his fists into the other’s face.

“Z-Zanthony?” Saffron cried out, stepping back, though as she did the first man took his chance to stab her from behind, catching Saffron right in the ribs. She hissed out and whipped around, an invisible force slamming the man into the wall with such a power that the bricks cracked around the impact. Saffron fully turned to him, pain in both her shoulder and side. She glowered at the man and reached up to flip open her eyepatch, exposing a red pulsating eye against black nothingness. “Do you REALLY want to know why I’m called a demon?” She ground out, having caught the other man’s attention right away.

The man went still and opened his mouth, closing it again, opening it back up, his heart hammering in his chest as real fear flooded his features. “Y—y—you’re a freak.” He breathed.

Saffron grabbed the knife in her side and pulled it out, grunting in pain as she did. “No, I’m a demon.” She rammed the knife forward into the other’s head and he screamed out like a shrieking woman, only to realize that she had stabbed the bricks next to him, just a millimeter away from his face.

Saffron crinkled her nose as the fresh smell of urine filled the air, mixing with the smell of her own blood, the woman looking down to see the puddle at the man’s feet. “Go away now.” She hissed out, dropping the knife. She was ignoring the fact that she was bleeding and that her body was feeling faint.

Zim had finally got off of the other man, having knocked him unconscious, watching as the first man bolted out of the alleyway. He didn’t care about that man, staring at the wounds in Saffron’s body. “You’re injured.”

Saffron turned to face him, staring at the other listlessly, her red eye doing nothing to faze him in the slightest. _That was a first._ Saffron managed to smile slightly, moving to flip her eyepatch back in place while forcing herself to move, making her way back to her bag. Her movements were slow and sluggish, but she ignored how she was feeling. She needed to make it back. “I could have taken care of that myself, but thank you.”

“You were about to be shot in the head.” Zim turned to face her, “You’re injured, you need to heal.”

“I can handle myself.” Saffron said stubbornly, shrugging her bag on, wincing as she did. The bullet was still in her shoulder, she could feel it. It was a pain she should have been used to, but that coupled with the stab wound in her side, her body was going into shock anyway. Saffron’s eye stayed on Zim’s, finally registering that they were not purple, but completely red, before crumpling to the ground.

Zim stared at her, mainly the wounds. His antennae flicked in annoyance and he groaned, using his spider-legs to grab her items while he lifted her up in her arms.

“I thought I’d have to do this the hard way.” He mumbled.

* * *

She didn’t know how long she was out, her eye opening slowly while a cream colored ceiling came into focus. She groaned, feeling a dull throbbing in her shoulder that should have been worse, given that someone was trying to extract the bullet. When she tried to move the person smacked her arm.

“Hold still.”

Saffron glared at him slightly, taking notice of the other’s features. She coulda sworn that he had large red eyes and antennae just a while ago, but it was gone… He looked human, normal. Was that a hallucination on her part?

Zim kept his concentration, digging the tool deeper until it hooked onto the bullet, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he worked on taking it out with minimal pain. With every inch he saw her wince, until he finally extracted it successfully, tossing it into a metal tray. It rolled in the blood it was covered in.

“I would have gotten that out of you sooner but that wound closed up as soon as I transported you here.” He explained to her, “I had to slice your wound back open again.”

She turned her head away finally, choosing not to comment as she looked around her surroundings. It looked to be a normal looking room, an apartment or a hotel room? This obviously wasn’t the hospital. Not that she could risk going to the hospital… “I would have done this myself.” She said then, glancing around again. “None of this was necessary.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” Zim said blandly, finally leaving her side to assumedly wash up his hands. Saffron slowly sat up, wincing at the small throbbing in her side. Both wounds were clean but her clothes were another story. She looked like she had been in a massacre. “Fuck…I need to get back.” She said to herself.

Saffron looked around, spotting her personal effects on a far couch, the umbrella and her bag. She looked to where Zanthony had left, wondering if he had looked through her things. Well, if he was a cop then she would have been handcuffed to the bed, wouldn’t she? If he was one of _his_ men then he wouldn’t have helped her. If he was either one then her umbrella wouldn’t be within walking distance.

At least that was her logic.

Zim came back out wiping his hands with a cloth, his own hoodie looked stained with her blood and she didn’t say anything about it, moving to get her bag and weapon. “I would love to stay, but I have somewhere to be.”

“Leaving so soon? I need to cover that incision.”

Saffron glanced at her shoulder quickly and shook her head, “No need, it’ll heal.” She gave him a kind smile, “Thank you anyway.”

“Wait.” He shouted just as she turned, “At least let me walk you home.” He said then, thinking quickly for any reason, “Uh…it’s nighttime and I don’t want you jumped.”

Oh, what he didn’t know. “I can handle myself.”

“Says the woman who almost got shot in the head.” He countered, folding his arms.

Saffron rolled her eye at the comment, “I told you I could have taken care of that myself.”

“With your little…wiggly arms?” He wiggled his fingers, making Saffron pause. She looked at him fully, tilting her head.

“You…saw those?”

“Of course I did!” He scoffed, “The black wiggles that come out of your back, no one else can see them?”

Saffron couldn’t believe what she was hearing, because no one _could_ see them. Only she was able to see her tendrils, which she played off as having telekinesis. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, right? “No one can see them.”

“Then I’m special.” He grinned, “Now you _have_ to take me with you.”

He didn’t know when to back off, but for some reason Saffron didn’t want to even let him out of her sight now. If he could see her tendrils then who knows where his information may go. It was best to keep him at her side, and hopefully dispose of him later. She let out a sigh finally, glancing out of the nearest window. “Fine, you can come with me. As long as you don’t talk.” How was she going to explain this to her boss? _Hey, I found a stray and decided to bring him home._ No, that didn’t sound plausible.

Saffron stood there for at least a couple of minutes as she tried to think of some excuse to give to her boss, because bringing in an outsider into the building wasn’t something that was allowed. New recruit? Possibly. Actually, she could pawn him off as that… make him regret ever following her.

“Alrighty!” Saffron pulled on a wide smile, snapping her fingers, “Come.”

Zim looked offended, “I’m not a dog.” He shouted.

“You are for the remainder of this trip.” She kept her cool smile, retrieving her things before making her way out of the room.

At least it was nighttime, she thought to herself. A woman wearing a blood-soaked outfit in the daytime wouldn’t have gone by without notice. By the time they were on the street again Saffron had to gather her bearings, pulling out her phone to check the GPS to see where she was before deciding on a route, heading in a certain direction. Zim followed, highly curious as to where she was wanting to go, but at the same time making sure she wouldn’t try and lose him like she did the last time. He didn’t want to let her go, not just yet. This alien with these abilities was rare, he never seen any other with them and he was damned if he was going to lose that. He didn’t have much of anything to lose anymore, but this alien was something he wasn’t going to give up so easily. She was rightfully _his_.

But what to do with her? He hadn’t the slightest clue. His initial plan was to give her to his leaders, but fuck them. He wasn’t going to give them _anything_. This discovery was for him only, and he was going to keep an eye on her, study everything she did. That’s all he could do anymore on this stupid planet, study. Though, so far, he didn’t find anything dull about her.

He idly wondered what she did… humans had jobs, right? What was hers?

Saffron ignored the feeling of his eyes on her back the whole time they walked, knowing that he wasn’t going to go anywhere any time soon. She thought she was rid of Zanthony before, but he appeared so suddenly when she was in danger. She had to wonder if he was stalking her. If so, then why? Possibly her reputation, possibly her name. She was well known in this city, feared by the right people, and (almost) everyone knew not to cross her. This one man acted like he didn’t know who she was at all, which told her one thing - he wasn’t from here. It made her wonder just who he was and why he was here to begin with, or was he really some random ass annoying man who wanted her number?

Either way, he was able to see something that wasn’t seen by others…

Saffron kept to the street, making her way into a less constricted part of the city. The buildings were beginning to look smaller, more industrial. Zim was noticing the change in scenery, impressed that this woman could walk so far without getting winded. Normally humans took transportation to get to such lengths, but this one kept walking.

It was around midnight when the two of them came onto a seedier part of the city. There were people scattered in places, prostitutes scouting the streets. One building stood out among the rest of them, a larger purple brick building with a red unreadable sign that flashed in the darkness. Zim scanned it, looking around at how dirty and disgusting the area looked. His inner germaphobe was cringing at what he had to look at, but he continued to walk behind her, stopping when they reached the door. Saffron gave it three knocks and a small window that was eye-level had slid open, the person behind it staring at Saffron with a hint of scrutiny before realizing it was her. Though, his eyes trailed to the man behind her. “Who’s the bum?” Asked the doorman.

“He’s with me.” Saffron replied blandly, waving her hand, “Open it.”

The man shut the smaller door before unlocking the bigger one, stepping aside to let Saffron in. Though, as Zim passed, his arm came to stop the other, the scarred and shirtless man glaring down at him.

“No funny business.” He grunted out, and Zim looked distastefully at the hand on his chest before picking it away.

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” He left as soon as he could, looking around the area. The entire place looked…nicer than the outside. Plush chairs, chandeliers, violet walls with adorned accents. The tables were full of high-class looking businessmen, scantily clad women sitting on their laps having private conversations. His eyes roamed, seeing the row of rooms on another floor. Was this a hotel?

“My my, you look…” A woman approached him, his eyes lingering on the bloodstains on his hoodie, “ _Handsome_.” She had to force it out, looking hesitant to use it.

“Huh?” Zim finally zoned in on the woman, peering down at her well-endowed chest that was almost spilling out of her shirt and paying no mind. “Yes, um…may I ask what this establishment is?”

The woman blinked, looking at the doorman quickly, “Are you a customer?”

He shook his head, “No, I came with…her.” He gestured to Saffron, who was caught up in a conversation with another woman. The woman stared on at the fact that her top was bloody as well, looking back at Zim’s hoodie, putting two and two together.

“Did you two get into a fight?” She mused, now looking interested, “Not every day Saffy brings home a boy, tell me, are you two…” She glanced at Saffron and back to him, “ _You know_.”

No. Zim didn’t know. He stared at her with confusion, looking at Saffron and now watching as a darker and taller gentleman took the place of the lady, slipping his hand on Saffron’s shoulder once he noticed the wound. Something hot burned through Zim and he glared at the man, getting a bubbling urge to go over there and rip that hand off of her. “Who’s that?” He demanded.

The woman chuckled, “He’s the owner of this place, and he’s _very_ protective of darling Saffy.” She proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck and lean into him, chuckling when she noticed Zim glaring daggers into his head, “I wouldn’t try anything hunny,” She whispered, “He’ll kill you before you can blink.”

The sudden closeness of the woman caught Zim’s attention quickly and he grimaced, shoving her away and turning to march over to Saffron and the other man. His eye twitched irritably, watching as she brought five paper bags out of her own bag and handed them to him.

“The last one was just as easy but I ran into some…problems.” She looked at Zim as she said it, implying that he was one of them. “The Brotherhood sent two of their fuckups to me in some kind of a twisted joke on their part to show them some sort of fealty.” She explained then, “The two guys were a couple of blowhards and I got into a scuff-up.”

“Looks to me like more than a scuff-up, Little Sapphire.” The man chuckled, reaching down to lift up her shirt so he could look at her bandaged wound. “So, care to explain one of your problems?”

Saffron looked at Zim again, “Zanthony, this is Domino L’Herroux.”

Zim looked him over, noting the dark skin, golden eyes, and the abundance of wild and untamed blonde hair that gathered behind him, the man towering over him by a foot. He looked almost intimidating, almost. “And he’s important to me how?”

Saffron went still for a second and glanced at Domino, watching as an amused grin appeared on his face. His golden eyes glittered in interest. “That’s an attitude that I don’t get all that often.” The man looked truly humored by Zim’s presence. “It’ll go away quickly.”

“What?” Zim glared at him, “What do you mean by that?”

Something cold and thin slithered into Zim’s hoodie and suddenly he felt something wrap around his throat, applying the slightest bit of pressure. He looked to Saffron and caught her eyeing him, her arms folded, while one of her tendrils lapped at his cheek. It was a message of some kind, a warning. Zim soon realized his mistake and nodded slowly, feeling the pressure release and the cold thin presence leave his side.

He had to wonder what he just walked into.

“Zanthony saved me,” Saffron said then, “I’m wondering if you’d repay that kindness by offering him a job.”

“Mhm.” Domino folded his arms, looking Zim over, “Zanthony, what a strange name.”

“I should say the same about Domino.” Zim countered, and Saffron slapped her hand over her face.

The man chuckled, “You’ll learn that not everyone gives out their real name in this business.”

Zim looked even more confused, “Eh?”

_I want to smack him,_ Saffron thought to herself. “Zanthony, come with me.” She reached out to take his hand, snapping her fingers at Domino to direct him to the back room. Domino chuckled and led the way. They entered a back room, going down the hall to a lone elevator. Zim felt slightly claustrophobic as he stood behind Saffron and Domino, waiting until it stopped and the two of them proceeded to take him to a single room. Zim stopped at the door as they entered, looking at the full-length one-way mirror at the side of the wall, the large oak desk that sat in front of a mini bar, and off to the side was a king sized bed. He snapped back into reality when Saffron smacked him.

Domino proceeded to sit at the desk, tapping his fingers against the surface. “Do me a favor and frisk him.” He said calmly.

Saffron nodded and shoved Zim against the door. He cried out, opening his mouth to protest before he felt that telltale pressure on his throat. She slipped her hands under his hoodie, further under his shirt, feeling for anything suspicious, wires, microphone, a battery pack. Her hands were gentle in the movement, slipping them down to his pants, frisking him like a cop would a delinquent. Zim didn’t understand what was happening, he had nothing on him. What was so serious about where he was that it required him to be manhandled in such a way, though, he wasn’t allowed to voice his objections. As soon as she was done, however, the pressure left him and so did the presence. She looked satisfied, moving to sit on a couch.

“He’s clean.”

“Save for the bloodstain.” Domino mused, cradling his head against his hand. “Now, have you ever heard of a crime organization?”

Zim thought about the question carefully. Of course he had. “Yes.”

“Actually Domino, the main question is,” She turned to Zim, “Are you from here?”

He processed the second question, because no, he had actually packed up from his original base to here in order to study the alien in front of him. “Not from this city.” He clarified.

Domino still looked amused, “Have you ever thought about doing something worthwhile with your life?”

The question seemed to hit home to him, making Zim feel sick. He thought he had been doing something worthwhile, something for the good of his leaders, for it to turn into one giant joke at the end. He had been the joke, and everything he had been doing had been for nothing. He practically had nothing to strive for anymore, no leaders to impress, no real meaning to his life. He took a moment before sighing, “Yes.”

“Goodie.” Domino clapped his hands together, “Because you’ve been so gracious and kept myLittle Sapphire from dying I’m going to give you this once in a lifetime offer. Agree to work with me and I’m sure you will find it better than whatever you had before, you can be your own boss and choose your hours, and as long as you do your job then you’ll get paid very well.”

Zim thought about the question and recalled the scantily clad women that were entertaining the business men, wondering if that’s what Domino meant, he cringed just slightly, “I’m not sullying myself entertaining fat disgusting humans!”

The room went quiet and Saffron looked confused, looking at Domino, who looked at her, before they both looked at the window that displayed the club down below. Domino was the first one to laugh, and Saffron was hesitant to follow.

“That’s not what I meant.” He clarified, “While this brothel is a part of my business, it’s only twenty percent of my profits, and I highly doubt you would look good in one of my girls’ outfits.”

Saffron snorted in amusement, leaning back in the seat, “Your job would be something completely different, Zanthony. Depending on what you’re good at.” She crossed her legs, “I’m the financial and information supervisor, people who take loans from Domino aren’t always good on their debts, and I’m tasked to making sure those debts are paid, anything involving money is my job, whereas I’m also the one who provides all of our information. I know everything that goes on in this city.”

“And she’s pretty good at what she does.” Domino praised, “She’s rightfully earned her position as my right hand.”

Something passed through Zim’s recollection and he slowly came to a realization. He’s seen this before. Many kinds of groups like this, almost like the Resisty, but much more violent. Thousands of people dedicating themselves to one boss, doing illegal activities such as drug smuggling, money stealing, alien trafficking, provoking fear into the hearts of others. He remembered how those humans at the bar reacted to Saffron, how they stared at her in fear. It was an organization wherein one person could rule over anything they wanted. The Empire got their monies this way, from outside sources who they held ties with to procure experiments, as most of them dealt with buying and selling aliens. The titles for them were different between there and Earth but the meaning was purely the same. This was a Mafia.

Who he was sitting in front of was the boss. The most powerful person in the room. Zim looked at Domino in another way now, because this person held power…and so did the alien sitting next to him. He looked at Saffron, studying her. She suddenly became more interesting, knowing that she held some sort of power by being what she was. He suddenly felt small again, as if he was standing before his Tallests.

Zim shook his head. No. There were no Tallests here. They weren’t his Tallests…

_But what else are you able to do?_ A small voice echoed in the back of his mind. All he was trained for was to serve his leaders, that was his life’s goal, to make his Tallests happy. They’ve abandoned him, so… wouldn’t it be logical to find a replacement? It seemed like the best solution right in front of him.

This would be his new life…and this time he wouldn’t be a joke. He would get the recognition he deserved.

After a long bout of silence Zim propped his elbows onto his knees, leaning forward. “What would I have to do?”

“Let’s narrow it down.” Domino leaned forward, “Tell me what you used to do.”

That was a good question, but he had no single answer. He did nearly everything. He was a soldier, he was a scientist, he was a fry cook, he could work with computers, he was an invader. He thought long and hard about it. “I…used to be in the military.” He chose his words carefully. “Then I became a scientist…and then…I was employed to take over properties.” That was the same as an invader, right? Right.

“Sounds nice, a good array of talents.” Domino leaned back, standing up and moving to the bar, pouring himself a scotch. “Drink?”

Zim glanced at the alcohol Domino was pouring, shrugging. Human alcohol wasn’t all that effective to Irkens. “Sure.”

Saffron only crossed her legs, staying silent as she assessed everything she heard.

Domino poured him a glass and delivered it to Zim, placing a coaster onto the coffee table in front of him. “So what you’re telling me is that you know how to shoot and you’re good with chemicals, and you’re also proficient in scaring people out of what they own. That’s a very good resume.” He sat back down at the desk. “Let’s try them all out and see which one you’re best at. You’ll be traded off to my subordinates for three days. You’ll be with hitman on the first, the second you’ll be with our drug cartel, on the third you’ll shadow Little Sapphire and try your hand at debt collecting.”

Zim looked over at Saffron, wondering if he could skip all of that and work with her. It sounded almost perfect…

“I’ll tell Damien and Zet about their little side projects.” Saffron stood up then, making her way to the door, “In the meantime I’m going to take a shower.”

Domino smiled as she headed for the door, watching her leave and sighing. “Ah, to be that loofa.”

Zim didn’t understand what he meant by that, also watching her leave. “So…” He didn’t know what else to say, looking back at Domino. “What do we do now?”

“You’re free to spend the night here.” The man said, gesturing to the door, “We have rooms for those who don’t want to take the trip home during the evening. Safer, no one tries to murder you during the morning hours.”

Zim nodded, rubbing his hands on his pants legs anxiously. He still hadn’t made a home base for himself yet, opting to take a hotel room with a credit card he stole from Dib’s wallet. “Sounds good.” He said mostly to himself as he stood up.

“Before you go, I have one more thing for you to know.” Domino stood up with him, giving him a wide smile, “I rely on trust, I rely on it with every single one of my employees. If for some reason you want to take that trust and deceive me in any way, I won’t hesitate to shoot you in the head.”

Zim had forgotten to move, keeping his eyes on Domino while he processed the words. “Shoot. Right.”

Domino kept his smile, “I tell everyone this, just fair warning.” He lifted up his drink, slamming it back in two gulps. “Have a good night.”

Zim left the room quickly, pacing the hallways up and down while he thought.

Shot in the head, thrown out the airlock, what’s the difference?


	2. Initiation

Irkens didn’t sleep for the most part, so the bed in his room was just for show at this point. He instead spent most the night working on a way to impress his new boss. This technically was a new start for him, a new leader to please. He was going to be given three daily tasks and he had to do them better than everyone else, that would earn him the recognition he would need.

His mind would sometimes derive from his plans to linger on the third day, wondering how he could impress her. Out of both of them, he wanted to capture her attention the most.

Then he slapped himself, because he sounded like a smeet.

His mind then went back to everything he had done in the past and how it all ended up lowering his favor with his leaders. There was no use sugarcoating it, he had fucked up everything he had done. He was too overzealous. He was his own worst enemy. His biggest problem was thinking that he was already amazing, when in reality he was being laughed at.

He had a good amount of time to reflect on his past and pick out all the flaws that he didn’t realize he had. It was the same amount of mistakes that kept him from taking over the planet. Now he was back at the start. He was just a smeet again, working his way up the ranks.

Though when he worked his way up the ranks, he wasn’t a joke back then, was he? No, he had gotten to be an Irken Elite by his talents alone. He had become a scientist because he was intelligent enough to be one. Somewhere along the lines he lapsed into delusions of grandeur, killing two of his Tallests though his own overzealous attitude, nearly destroying all of Irk in his own anticipation impress his leaders. He became full of himself far too quickly and it blinded him to his faults.

Being given this job by Domino, this was his second chance to make everything right. This was a redemption, possibly the one he would need. If he could prove his worth in this mafia, if he could become a valuable member by his own merit alone, and if he could reign in his overzealous attitude the whole time, then he would be redeemed for his past faults. He would no longer be a joke. His name wouldn’t be cause for laughter.

He could possibly gain _her_ attention.

Smack.

“Stop it.”

Zim couldn’t help but think about it, about _her_ , what could possibly happen. How he could win her attention. Irken culture was like that, the more violent and dangerous the female, the more attractive they were. Saffron was no different, though she wasn’t Irken, she wasn’t human either. He wasn’t attracted to humans, they were weak and pitiful. He had yet to meet a human that had captured his interest. She may have looked like a human, but she wasn’t one in the slightest.

He fell back against the bed, cringing at the thoughts going though his mind and using a pillow to muffle his screaming. He continued screaming into the pillow, curling up and rolling over to the side until he was done. He kept it there, over his face, wishing just then that he could fall into a sleep cycle just once in his life so he wouldn’t have to deal with these thoughts. Though, sleep cycles came with dreams, didn’t they? Subconscious thoughts that proceeded to torment the person having them. No, sleeping wouldn’t work.

He continued to lie there and stare at the pillow until the sunlight up above began to bathe natural light into the room below. His pack had shut off during the night, keeping him in a stasis until a knock on the door triggered it to reboot the Irken attached to it. Zim slowly came to, his head turning until a second knock jolted him upright. He let out a small nonsensical grunt before getting up, making sure his disguise was right before heading to the door. The last thing he wanted to do was out himself on the first day.

Standing at the door was Saffron, idly picking at her nails while she waited. Her clothes were different, an olive green sleeveless top and army print cargo pants, her shoulder showing no signs of a wound at all, just a faint scar. “About time.” She looked disinterested, almost bored. She didn’t want to play babysitter but here she was, at Zanthony’s door to take him to his first mission. Sometimes she hated Domino. “Come on, I don’t have time to waste.” She turned then, exposing the umbrella strapped over her shoulder.

Zim looked back at the room to give it one single sweep before following her, hurrying to keep up. “So who am I going with today?”

“His name is Damien, he’s a very good friend of mine.” She smiled at the mention of his name, something Zim felt a tinge of jealousy over.

“How good is this ‘friend’?” He asked suspiciously.

“If you hurt him I’ll kill you.” She answered simply, entering the elevator and waiting for him to follow. Zim didn’t respond, stepping inside and looking her over. Her hair was pulled up today, exposing her neck. The longer he studied her he more he realized how small she was. She wasn’t as tall as Domino, or as muscular, but she was fast and dangerous all the same.

“Stop staring.” She wasn’t even looking his way, staring straight at the doors. “I know when I’m being watched, and it’s annoying to be stared at.”

Zim looked away, mumbling out an apology and folding his arms. He was still stuck in the bloodied hoodie and something told him that he was going to get stared at if they left the club.

When the elevator stopped Saffron was the first one out, greeting the women with her own smile. It was amazing how her demeanor changed depending on who she was talking to, with Zim she was cold and dismissive but with everyone else she was warm and friendly. He had to do something to change that.

Saffron led him to a back room he hadn’t seen before, and Zim blindly followed. He stopped then, his eyes lingering on the large collection of guns that were organized on the wall. There were different types and sizes, from a rocket launcher to a flare gun. He turned his head and saw another collection on the far wall, an array of swords and knives, including a couple of Japanese swords, a cane, a rapier…

“Those are mine.” She gestured to the swords, taking her umbrella off her back and setting it onto a hook so she could pick up a cane. She twisted the handle and pulled out a sword hidden from within, looking pleased at what she was showing him. “Carrying a weapon is illegal but I have ways of beating the system, I prefer swords over guns.”

“Uh-huh.” Zim nodded dumbly, making his way over to a table in the middle and seeing a small selection of semi-automatic pistols. He hesitantly touched one, frowning. They were archaic by Irken standards but he wasn’t unfamiliar with these kinds of weapons. Irkens had guns, though the ones they had expelled lasers instead of bullets. In his opinion, the lasers were more lethal and dangerous than metal pellets.

“I hope you can shoot.” She said while he looked over the different selections. He rolled his eyes and picked one up, aiming it at a far wall.

“Are you kidding me? I was in the military.”

She smirked at that, “The safety is still on.”

Zim stilled, turning the gun and looking it over, trying to find what she meant by safety. The sight was almost comical, and Saffron snorted in amusement as she went over to him and turned the safety off for him, though unloading the magazine and setting it down in front of him. “Don’t point it at yourself, dumbass.”

“The guns I dealt with were highly different.” He explained to her, though it sounded almost like a pitiful excuse more than anything. He looked over the gun again, taking the magazine and tilting it over so he could look closely at the chamber. Saffron again felt like a glorified babysitter, taking the gun out of his hands again and taking the chamber. “You’re an idiot.” She said harshly, which affected him more than she realized. “Follow me.”

She led him to another room, and Zim hesitantly followed, growing agitated the more she insulted him. He was aching to do something to prove to her that he wasn’t inept. That he was able to do something useful. He looked around the room, seeing tables with partitions and a far off wall with paper targets. Saffron picked up a pair of safety glasses and ear protection, putting them on while handing him another. “Put this on.”

Zim looked at them quizzically, looking back at her and copying what she did, unable to understand why he needed them. She paid him no mind, taking him to a table and setting the gun and magazine on the surface. “I want you to shoot the target correctly at least five times.” She said aloud.

He looked at her, then at the target, and finally down at the gun. He could feel the pressure, the fact that she was giving him a task. Though, he didn’t pick it up right away, staring at it and hesitating. Earth guns were way, way different than standard issue Empire guns.

Saffron grew more irritated with every passing second, groaning before taking the gun, loading the magazine and aiming for the target and shooting it at least five times in rapid succession. Zim watched her do all of this in one fluid motion, seeing the holes she was making in the head area of the human-shaped paper. He suddenly had the overwhelming need to show off what he knew.

Saffron put the gun down in front of him. “I hope I don’t need to show you twi—“

Zim grabbed the weapon and aimed it just as she did, popping off at least five shots, each one overlapping the last in the same area, right where the heart was. When he was done he quickly set the gun down, turning his head to look straight at her. She was still, her eye wide at what just happened, meeting his eyes. She opened her mouth and shut it, clearing her throat and looking away.

“Alright, you’re not fully inept.”

“I’m a fast learner.” As he said that he picked the gun up and unloaded the magazine, as if to hit the topic home that he knew what he was doing. Saffron took a moment to recollect herself, nodding and saying nothing about it. Instead, she took off the ear protection and the glasses, “Then come with me.” She said then, setting down the equipment.

Zim mimicked her and grabbed the weapon, raising it up to flip the safety on. By this point he was doing it to be an ass, but he didn’t really care. He was proving his worth.

Saffron didn’t say anything, making a note in her head to hit him later. She led him back out of the room and further out of the weapon room, down the hall and to another door. Something that Zim just noticed, that this ‘club’ was bigger on the inside than it looked to be on the outside. Was this their base of operations? It was the size of a factory. He stopped when she did, the woman knocking on the door and waiting.

From behind, a man opened the door. He looked… strange. Dark skin, red eyes, black hair that was pulled back and a small braid hanging down the side. He wore exclusively red and black clothing, dressing less fancy than Domino, with a band shirt and jeans. Zim figured the dress code here was lax.

“Saffy!” Damien lunged forward and captured Saffron into a tight hug, making the other laugh. Damien didn’t pay it any mind, grasping her head and pressing a kiss to her cheek. While this was happening Zim was standing there, his hands becoming fists as the violent urge to rip the man’s hands off was rising. No, Zim, don’t mutilate your superior.

Damien finally released her and smiled widely, turning his eyes on Zim. “You must be Zanthony!” He reached out and pulled him into a tight hug as well, something Zim didn’t expect in the slightest. He struggled in the man’s grip, which was almost like steel.

“Unhand me you filthy human!” He ground out. Damien only laughed, pulling back and winking at him.

“Oh, you’re going to be fun.” The man sounded purely optimistic, turning his attention back to Saffron and blowing her a kiss. “I’ll bring him back to you alive, don’t worry.”

“Feel free to kill him if he becomes a handful.” Saffron said as she turned away, leaving Zim staring after her.

“You—but—Saffron!” Zim’s voice was being completely ignored, and Damien snickered from his side, also watching her leave.

“She must like you.” He grinned.

Zim turned to him, “That female insults me at every turn and wishes for my death and you say she _likes_ me.” He didn’t know how to feel about that.

Damien leaned in, glancing back just to make sure she was out of earshot, “She brought you back here didn’t she? She’s never done that before, ever.” He backed away after the alien seemed to go blank, chuckling. “Yeah, word gets around fast about the boy that Saffy brought back home. Everyone’s curious about you. Now, Domie wants you to come with me for today. I’m sure you know what hitmen do, do you?”

It took Zim a moment to get back on track but when faced with the question he became silent, thinking about it. “Of course I do.” He laughed slightly, “Who wouldn’t know?” Hitmen were assassins right? He knew enough about assassins.

“Good.” Damien led him further into the room and to a table, where a couple of files were sitting. “In this business we deal with…roadblocks. Either officials who want to hinder our work in some way or people who just create problems for us. It’s me and my team’s job to get rid of those troublesome people and send messages through those kills. There are also people who come to us to take care of their problems for a price.” Damien’s hand hovered on the one file, remembering what Saffron asked of him. Give him the hard contract, see what he can do. It sounded like she wanted to get rid of him but at the same time it sounded like a hazing ritual, which could go either way. He picked it up and handed the folder over to him.

“His name is Vincent DeGallo, he’s the city’s finest police officer. He’s also one of the dirtiest cops that they have. He’s been employing the Crimson Brotherood to help him try and pick off our own people one by one. Those two assclowns that were after Saffron the other night were probably sent by him. If we take care of him then it’ll send a message to the others that we won’t be messed with.”

Zim stared down at the photo of the balding man in a police uniform, quirking a brow when Damien mentioned something specific. “There’s another mafia in this city?”

“There’s about five.” Damien explained, settling himself on the edge of the table, “Four of them are chill with us, we’re the biggest fish in this ocean, but there’s at least one that is trying their best to become bigger than us. As of now, Domino holds the power in this city and subsequently this entire half of the country.”

Zim blinked, “Domino’s that powerful?” He couldn’t believe it.

“Domino built this empire from scratch, he’s the main reason we have our contacts with the other cities, we supply others with goods and they pay us a hefty fee. We also make drugs that are circuited through the country. We’re one of the top gangs, and Domino’s looking to go global.”

This was an Empire… Domino was just as powerful as a Tallest. Zim felt like he was back in basic training, a smeet preparing himself to become something better.

Damien turned back around, “We deal with threats on a daily basis and it’s our job to take care of them. Now I hope you have no empathy when it comes to other people’s lives, hitmen have to lack certain emotions for this to work.”

“Empathy?” Zim repeated, grinning, “I have no fucking clue what empathy is, if you’re asking if I can kill someone, just hand me the weapon. It’s not something new to me.”

The amusement was present in Damien’s eyes and he chuckled, “Well, then I suggest showing me what you’re capable of.”

“I plan on it.”

* * *

The target was never without any company, so either he knew that he was a target or he just liked having bodyguards for the hell of it. His routine seemed to be mundane, having stopped at a coffee shop earlier and now he was on his way to a restaurant. This human loved to eat, and the evidence was in his waist.

Damien looked like any other nameless city dweller, having changed his clothes to something less eye-catching. No one suspected a man in a Hawaiian shirt. Zim had only discarded his hoodie, because a bloodstain just screamed “suspicious.” Thankfully for Zim, he had more than a gun on his person and he knew how to kill a person in other ways.

They sat at a table, which was outside of the lounge that was barred off by his men. “Gee someone likes privacy.” Damien said to himself, picking up a menu so he could cover his mouth, “We need to find a gap in his security.”

Zim had a good line of sight into the lounge, staring at the fat balding man talk with one of his bodyguards. Over his many years of being on Earth, he had learned how to read lips. It was a good talent for him to have and it seemed that the talent was going to be put to good use now.

“What do you see?” Damien asked, lowering his sunglasses to scan the room.

“He’s talking about nothing important,” Zim said quietly, “something about the big game, whatever that is.”

The other man grinned, “Nice, how do you know that?”

“I can read lips.” Zim didn't see why it was important, he had leaned how to do it when it came to other Irkens speaking his native language.

Damien looked intrigued about the fact that Zanthony could do this. It was a useful talent to those who wanted information. “Keep reading.”

Zim didn’t respond, only continuing to read the words Vincent was saying. Mostly it was about nothing special, nothing that required his undivided attention. Suddenly, the man pulled out a phone, putting it to his ear. The one-sided conversation between him and whoever was on the other side soon became important.

“There seems to be a shipment coming in.” Zim spoke up. Damien glanced around before pulling out his own phone, taking down the information. “Something involving the docks at midnight.”

“What’s the shipment?” Damien questioned. trying to figure out the details.

“No idea, but supposedly it’s something that will bring him... _big cheddar_? What’s _big cheddar_?”

“Money,” Damien sent a text, “we can take a look into it, any other specifics?”

Zim looked annoyed, the appearance of the waitress interrupted the call and Vincent had cut the call to put in his order. “The waitress came and now he’s ordering food... a lot of food.” Zim nearly looked disgusted at how much the other man wanted. “It’s actually disgusting.”

“What is he ordering?” Damien looked bewildered, “Everything on the menu?”

“Nearly.” Zim cringed and finally looked away, having come up with an idea about what to do with the food. “I’ll be back.”

Damien didn’t say anything, taking a drink out of his water and watching him head off towards the restrooms, he thought nothing of it.

The restrooms were in the same hallway that the door to the kitchen was. Zim headed to the bathroom first, using the moment he was alone to cloak himself. Glancing at the mirror he could see nothing, which proved that even the Earth clothes could follow the same rule as his invader uniform. Satisfied, he left before anyone could run into him.

The kitchen was loud, and Zim had to maneuver himself well to keep out of touching distance from other cooks. There were about two inside the room, wait staff coming in and out. The waitress from before was reading the order aloud while the cooks looked at each other and groaned audibly. The waitress knew she wasn’t going to be tipped 20% by the end of this check.

One part of the order was salad and soup, and Zim stayed in the corner, waiting as the cooks had done their job. He thought about what he had already lying in wait in his pack, using an appendage to retrieve the small case for him. About five vials, each of them red liquid. These were only used in emergencies and he never had the need to poison anyone or anything until now. He thought about using it on Dib countless times, but apathy had gotten in the way.

By the time the soup was ready to be served Zim managed to get to it before the waitress, breaking open the vial and pouring its contents inside the soup. The red blended in with the brown broth. Quickly he got out of the kitchen and back into the bathroom to keep up the appearance that he had created.

Damien seemed to be casually flirting with one of the waiters when Zim had returned to the room, stopping in his tracks while the man was trying to talk the other into giving him his number. He rolled his eyes at the exchange, deciding to crash the party by sitting down at the table.

“What are you doing, honey?” Zim asked loudly, pulling on a grin as the waiter gave Damien an offended glare before leaving. The man watched the other leave, opening his mouth and shutting it before turning his glare onto Zim. The alien only sat there with a shit-eating grin.

“Ha-ha very funny, do that again and I’ll shoot you in the kneecaps.” Damien hissed out, “Where were you?”

Zim placed his elbows onto the table so he could cradle his chin in his hands, “You’ll see.” His eyes zeroed in on the waitress with a platter full of three plates, one of them being the soup.

Damien followed his eyes before turning back, “What did you do?”

“Wait for it.” Zim insisted, his eyes lingering on Vincent, who had pulled up his salad first. Damien decided to stay quiet, stirring the coffee on the table in front of him.

“You know that man has a good idea, maybe I should get something to go.” Damien said idly. Zim didn’t answer, only waiting.

Fifteen minutes in the man moved from his salad to the soup, and the Irken finally stood up. “We should go.” He said to the man.

Damien looked up at Zim quizzically but said nothing about it, pulling out his wallet. “I’m going to pay—“

There was a loud smash and a thump, and suddenly the security team was scrambling. “MAN DOWN MAN DOWN!”

The other customers began to panic and scream, and Damien saw one of the waiters rush over to get the phone. “Hello 911 this is an emergency—“

Zim didn’t flinch at the chaos that was erupting around them, making his way out of the restaurant. Damien looked from Zim back to the room back to Zim before hurrying after him. When they got outside there were sirens and everyone on the street stopped where they were.

The two of them blended with the crowd just in time for the police to come in, they made their way inside while a couple began to rope off the scene.

Damien stared wide-eyed at the entire thing, looking at Zim again and realizing that this rookie had just taken down one of their most secured contracts. The way it happened sounded like the kid had poisoned something he was eating…

Zim didn’t look phased by the entire ordeal, smirking to himself when he saw the stretcher wheel out of the restaurant with a bodybag.

Damien raised his phone to get a photo of the body. “Can’t wait to tell Domino about this.”

Zim seemed satisfied about today’s results.

* * *

“—and he fucking dropped like a rock. Everyone blew up in a panic.” Damien’s hands were animated, gesturing wildly as he recalled everything to Domino. Zim was only sitting on the couch, quietly listening while Saffron sat on the edge of Domino’s desk, staring at Zim and wondering who the hell he was.

“So it was poison.” Domino surmised, looking at Zim for an answer.

“Yes.”

The man quirked a brow, “How did you administer it?”

“Through the soup.”

Damien snapped his fingers, “The fucking soup!”

“How did you even get there without being noticed?” Saffron spoke up then, talking for the first time since they were called into the room. “What did you do?”

“I snuck in, what’s so hard to understand?” Zim looked so nonchalant about it, shrugging freely.

Saffron didn’t like that answer, folding her arms and keeping her eye on him. To her it wasn’t possible that a rookie with no experience could drop someone so well guarded. The contract was supposed to give him a taste of how being in a mafia worked and give the little asshole some perspective.

Zim still didn’t look phased, only sitting there as if this was just another mission, in which it was. The fact that he did his job so well was the best part about it, that both Domino and Damien were impressed by him. Though when he looked at Saffron he could only see cold indifference, and that made him irritated.

What did he need to do?

“I think this calls for a drink, Zanthony deserves one for such a job well done.” Domino wheeled away from his chair and headed to the bar, pouring him and Zim a glass. “Damien you take whiskey, right?”

“Cinnamon.” Damien clarified, crossing his legs. “I’m interested about how tomorrow might work out for you, Zanthony.” He said then, “Who knows, maybe I’ll luck out and you’ll be in my department.”

“Zet needs to have a go at him first, I’m curious as to his scientific experience.” Domino took two glasses and delivered them to the others, getting his and stepping closer to Saffron. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” He asked teasingly, holding it in front of her face.

Saffron turned her head towards Domino to stare at him evenly, glowering at him with a resounding ‘no’.

Zim snorted in amusement, taking a sip of his drink. At least he wasn’t the only one getting the cold attitude.

Domino didn’t look phased at the stare, reaching forward with his free hand to caress her cheek. “You need to be more adventurous, Sapphire.”

A surge of emotions seemed to erupt inside of Zim, staring at the hand on his female’s cheek—wait. His female? Yes, his. He tore his eyes away, directing them to the floor. This was the worst time to have this reaction.

Saffron took the hand and pulled it away. “I’m plenty adventurous.” With that she stood up and turned, heading to the door.

“I hope that means under the sheets, love.” Domino called out after Saffron as she slammed the door in her wake, making the man chuckle in amusement.

Zim raised his head back up, his eye twitching. “Under the…sheets.”

Damien laughed, “It’s a horrible secret he’s been failing to keep.”

“What…do you mean by that?”

The man next to him leaned in to whisper into Zim’s ear, “Domino’s wants her.”

Zim froze, his eyes focusing on Domino. Something about this new information didn’t sit well with him at all, no, he absolutely hated it.

Domino didn’t look phased, “Damien, my intentions for my lovely Sapphire are just that, mine.”

Damien pouted, “But Domie, I thought we had a thing.”

Zim suddenly didn’t want to celebrate anymore, setting his drink onto the coffee table and standing up. “I need to go home.” He said then.

“Yes, while you do that change your clothes.” He gestured to the bloodied hoodie before going back to defending himself from Damien’s advances.

Zim tuned them out as he left, lost inside his thoughts. Saffron was already sought by another, not just anyone either, but the most powerful human here. Every bone in his body didn’t like that, at all. Was this the reason why she wasn’t impressed with him, because he had such an imposing rival? Was she already setting her sights on Domino?

Why was it that the more powerful and well-respected figures in his life had gotten everything they wanted while he was treated like he was nothing? Was it because he lacked what they had? Was that it? Would he begin to get everything he wanted if he became important and not just a lowly subordinate? Back where he came from it was about showing height. The taller you were the more important and respected you became. Here it seemed to be the most powerful person got whatever he wanted. It was about brute force and strength, how much fear you inflicted into a person.

If that was what he had to do to get her to even look at him…

Then he’d just have to go all out.

* * *

Today was a new hoodie, one that didn’t smell of rotten blood. He had to throw that one away. There was something about hoodies that he liked out of every other Earth garment, and he made sure to buy an array of them.

Finding the club again wasn’t that hard, though he had to make a big trek to get there. He finally got a chance to read the sign, how it said “The Kasbah”. He rolled his eyes, of course it would sound cheesy.

Before he crossed the street he saw another figure, also wearing a hoodie but with the sleeves cut off. What was with this female and having no sleeves? He watched her lightly jog to the door, taking a breath and deciding to cross the street.

Saffron reached out to knock on the door, only stopping when she heard a whistle. She looked behind her, her curiosity dropping once she saw who it was. She resumed her task.

Zim glared at her slightly, “What, no ‘good morning’?”

Saffron took a deep breath and turned to him, smiling wide. “Good morning! Lovely day isn’t it? How did you sleep, did you sleep well?”

Zim rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, watching Crux open the door. “Fine, fine. I get it.”

Saffron mock-bowed, continuing with the sarcasm. “Go right ahead, sir, you first!”

“I don’t know why I even bother.” Zim muttered, passing her to enter the club. Saffron pulled on a sly smirk and followed, greeting the doorman with a wave.

“Oh!” Someone gasped and suddenly Zim was surrounded by the busty attractive woman from before, pressing her chest against his, “We heard about what you did from Damien! You’re more interesting than I thought you were—“

Zim cringed and pushed her away again, turning to see Saffron staring flatly at the exchange before rolling her eye and turning away. “Hey!” Zim followed after her, “What was that about?”

“It’s just astounding how popular you’re getting.” Saffron said without looking at him, leading him into the back room. “When usually a rookie has to at least have two years under their belt to even get Domino’s adulation. You’re just an enigma aren’t you?” She stopped walking and turned to him, looking unamused.

Zim watched her, trying to figure her out. “Are you jealous?”

“More like suspicious.” She clarified, “Especially since I can’t find anything on you.”

He folded his arms, “You were trying to find information on me?”

“That’s my job, Zanthony, if you haven’t noticed.” She gestured to herself, “I don’t just collect debts, I’m also the eyes and ears of this city, which makes me wonder how someone I’ve never seen before becomes so popular so fast when you come off to be more of a buffoon than anything. Your only saving grace is the fact that you can see something no one else can.”

Zim’s eye twitched, “I’m sure you’ve heard of someone who’s naturally good at what they do, have you? I’m not entirely a “rookie” as you put it.”

“So you were working for someone else’s group before this one?” She glared at him, “Are you a spy, then?”

“Don’t shove words into my mouth!” He shouted, “I’m more apt than you assume me to be, how about you stop thinking me as a buffoon as you put it and see me for my talents.”

“You didn’t know how to use a gun until I showed you.” Saffron commented blandly.

“I still shot better than you, did I?” He countered, finally seeing her tear her blue eye away from his. He felt a surge of confidence. “If you would just open that eye of yours you’ll see something that you’re obviously ignoring. Perhaps keeping it patched up is hindering your ability to see what real talent is.”

Zim knew he was starting to get egotistical about his own abilities but for now he didn’t care, he wanted to present himself as someone who knew what he was doing. He wanted her to stop being so hostile to him, that would be the first start.

Saffron looked back at him, flipping up her eyepatch so her red eye could scan Zim carefully, “Yeah I still see someone with too much hot air in his head.” She flipped it back down and proceeded to walk away, leaving Zim standing there.

He let out a low growl and began cursing in his native tongue, making a fist and slamming it into the wall. “I’ve never met someone so INFURIATING!”

Yes, she was infuriating, but at the same time he wanted to shove her against the wall and take control, perhaps dominate and prove to her that he could do more than—

Zim slapped himself.

“I need to stop doing that.” He whispered, holding his head and leaning against the wall.

An amused chuckle broke the silence, and Zim turned, coming face to face with a short woman with wild blue hair. “Honey you look so distraught. What’s got you down?”

He couldn’t answer, not knowing who this woman was. “Eh?”

She only chuckled again, moving over to him and taking his arm, “The room’s this way, hun.”

Zim didn’t know what was happening, was she one of those entertainers? She seemed to have the figure for it. “I’m not—“

“You’re Zanthony, are you?” She brought him to a room that was locked with a keypad, and she entered the code to unlock it. “You’re just the person I was looking for.”

“I have no interest in what you’re selling.” Zim tried again, almost pulling away, but the woman’s grip on him was unwavering.

Zet laughed, “Honey I’m not one of them.” She corrected him, quick to realize what he meant. “I’m Zet, I’m the head of the drug cartel.”

Zim let that sink in, nodding slowly and looking around. They were in what looked like to be a laboratory, chemicals were everywhere, and so were testing equipment and other fancy items. It wasn’t as impressive as the laboratories on the Massive but it was nearly there.

She let go of him then, making her way to a small closet full of white coats and throwing him one of them. “Wear that, please.” She took out a pair of goggles. “These too, I don’t want you losin’ an eye now.”

After Zim had put on what he had to, Zet lead him to the main part of the room, where the drug making process began.

He didn’t know when she started talking, or how long it was as she explained how it all worked, because as soon as he looked at everything he immediately felt overwhelmed. He had no idea how Earth chemicals worked. He didn’t know most of these chemicals she was listing. He was a scientist, yes, but it mainly had to do with experimenting or creating lifeforms. The Irken Empire didn’t create drugs, that was all left to the other alien mafia rings out there. Even so, even if he studied up on all of these chemicals, their uses, side-effects, their counter-agents, or anything else, he still wouldn’t know how to create or enhance drugs. This wasn’t the type of science he was used to.

“—and there you have it.” Zet finally looked at him, having finished talking. “Now, would you like to see what you can do?”

Zim was stuck. What would happen if he said no? Would she be disappointed? Would Domino be angry? Would Saffron laugh at him? Yes, yes to all of those questions. Though he wasn’t concerned mostly about Domino and Zet more than he was concerned about Saffron's view of him. It was already low, horribly low. To give her an excuse to think any less of him made him feel inadequate. He might as well be back as an Irken Invader, having to kiss up to Tallests that mostly ignored every attempt he made. No, he thought, he wasn’t going to be humiliated like that again.

“Yeah!” Zim suddenly said with as much enthusiasm as he can muster, “Let’s try it!”

Outside of the room, down the hall and up the elevator, Damien was having a drink with Domino.

“You know, you could possibly like it if you gave it a try.” The red-eyed man gave his boss a sultry grin. “No one’s here right now…”

Domino quirked a brow, looking almost amused, “Perhaps I shouldn’t let you drink as much as you’d like, you tend to make passes at everyone.”

Damien stood up and sauntered over to him, “Not everyone, only you, Mr. Domino.” He settled himself on the edge, leaning down, “Come on, give me a taste.”

Sometimes, Domino wondered just why he drank with Damien when the other would just end up hitting on him every time he got shitfaced. Not that he was straight, no, he wasn’t straight by a long-shot, but he wasn’t one-bit into Damien either. Perhaps it was the amusement part of the activity, how fun it was to see Damien become so bold as to solicit his boss for sex. Domino got a kick out of it every time.

The taller man grinned, taking another sip of his bourbon. “I’m sorry, but if I give you a taste you’ll just be in here more often and I don’t keep pets in my room.”

“ _Woof_.”

Domino quirked a grin, until the floor began to tremble and there was a sound of an explosion. Damien nearly toppled over, grasping the edges of the desk with wide-eyes. “We’re under attack!” He cried out.

Domino got up immediately, ignoring Damien and storming out of the room, making his way to the elevator to enter the back room. Everyone was out in the hallways, even Saffron, their attention onto the smoke that was expelling from the laboratory and the lone woman using a fire extinguisher to take care of the flames.

Domino stood there in silence as the elevator opened up again, and Damien came running out, “What happened?” He cried.

Zet didn’t say anything, putting the fire extinguisher aside before going back inside to bodily drag out Zim, shoving him against the wall.

“Don’t let him near this room again!” She shouted towards Saffron.

Saffron folded her arms, stepping closer to Zim. His whole face was blackened and the goggles were cracked and destroyed, his clothes, mainly the once-white coat, was singed along the edges. He took one look at her and felt the disappointed glare seep into his spine.

“I tried.” He said then, and Saffron dropped her arms, turned around, and left the hallway.

Damien began to giggle hysterically, and Zim turned to face him, seeing Domino stand there with his face in his hand.

The man exhaled a long sigh, staring at Zim listlessly before reaching back to smack Damien across his head. “Quiet.” He proceeded to stride towards him, only stopping as Damien began to muffle his giggles, pushing that aside and approaching him. “Congratulations, it doesn’t take much to get under Zet’s skin but you’ve managed to piss her off under a half-hour.”

Zim looked helpless, like he was back in training, facing his General after having killed Irkens he wasn’t meant to. “I tried.” He repeated his earlier statement, not knowing what else to say.

Domino sighed, setting his hand on the other’s shoulder. “Go home and recollect yourself, come back tomorrow. You’ll be placed with Saffron. Perhaps I was too overzealous to allow you near volatile chemicals, but that’s on me.” Domino turned away but stopped, turning back to Zim with a smile, “Oh, and that phone call you spied on for Damien, we’ve gotten a hold of that shipment. Ten million in cocaine. Damien told me what you’re able to do kid, reading lips is a valuable commodity. Because of that, you’ve helped us, feel good that you’ve at least done that right.” With that he turned away, heading back to the elevator.

He wasn’t expecting this kind of treatment, anything but this. Domino was being so understanding and nice about it, when he was there to witness Zim making a grand fuck-up that could have decimated the entire club. If this was his Tallests he would be getting pummeled with saturated meat sticks while being belittled, but no, Domino was…consoling him, even praising him for what he did the day before! This was a strange change of leadership that he didn’t mind in any way.

Domino wasn’t as cruel as his old leaders were, but he knew very well not to assume that this kindness would continue if he fucked up a second time. He had to get better.

* * *

The bed in his room was starting to get some use, because after five hours of over-obsessive thinking he would force himself into hibernation mode just so he wouldn’t have to think again. His thoughts seemed to encompass a certain alien that hated the sight of him, and Zim found himself doubly determined to get her attention. If not today, then it wouldn’t happen in the slightest. It had to be today, he would prove himself to be worthy.

He was working with her today, so it meant that he would have the entire day with her. If it was anything like his day with Damien, then they would be alone together doing something important. Then he could utilize one of his many talents. They had barely scratched the surface of what he was able to do, and he was sure if given the chance he would not only impress her, but impress Domino and make up for the mishap yesterday.

This reminded him of when he was trying to impress Tallest Miyuki, but during that time everyone was trying to vie for her attention, and possible affection. Hell, even Red and Purple had done the same. That creature that inevitably killed her was created with her in mind, the first time he had let himself become too overzealous to notice that it was possibly a bad idea. He had cringed at the memory, and hoped to Irk that he wouldn’t somehow accidentally kill Saffron in some kind of fashion.

The sun had just barely started to shine through the window when it was opened from the outside. Zim’s pack whirred to life at the sound, and his eye twitched. His consciousness slowly came back, the Irken feeling a dip onto the mattress as someone had leaned onto it. His eyes slowly opened, finding the object of his thoughts kneeling on the bed staring at him.

He jolted upright, his eyes wide as he scrambled away, “S-Saffron!”

The woman didn’t seem all that concerned that she shocked him awake, staring at him listlessly. She was wearing the same hoodie from yesterday, earbuds in her ears. He could hear the tinny rock music, wondering what she was thinking. Eventually, Saffron reached up to take one of the earbuds out of her ears, letting it hang from the collar of the hoodie. “Good, you’re up.”

Zim blinked, looking over at the bedside clock and seeing that it was 6AM. “Aren’t you here a little early—wait—why are you even _here_ , aren’t I supposed to go to you?”

She leaned back, going for the one of two cups of coffee that were on the other bedside table. “While everyone else works at a certain time I tend to work longer than the rest. I’ve been working since yesterday.”

He tilted his head, “Do you even sleep?”

The question had her thinking before she shrugged, deciding not to answer and giving him one of the coffee cups. “Get ready. If I’m playing babysitter today then I want to do this quick and easy.”

Zim couldn’t help but glare at her, “Well I’m sorry that my presence is such a burden to you.” He spat.

Saffron took her own cup and sipped on it, “No, you’re not.” She commented, moving further into the room to inspect it, finding a kitchenette and browsing.

“Not what? A burden?” Zim stood up slowly, deciding to taste what she had gotten him.

“Not sorry.”

He was about mid-sip when she decided to answer, effectively making him choke on what he swallowed. He lowered the cup to glare even harder at her, seeing that she had decided to sit down at the table while bringing a laptop out of her bag.

Zim stepped over to her, watching as she turned it on and began using it. “What is this then?”

“Clearly you’ve seen a computer before.” She commented blandly, keeping her eye on the screen.

“Yes, I’ve seen a computer before.” He was trying to do his best not to raise his voice, she knew what buttons to push and it irritated him. “Let me clarify; what are you doing?”

The sound of tapping keys filled the room while Saffron remained silent, whatever she was doing took most of her attention, “Information gathering.” She said after what seemed like an eternity.

Zim leaned in to read over her shoulder, seeing nothing but unrecognizable programs and tonnes of binary text. “On who?”

“Coroners report on Vincent DeGallo and everything involving the case. I’m making sure to cover any tracks that need to be covered.”

It was quiet for a moment longer, and he watched what she was doing. She seemed to be working entirely though someone else’s public wifi network to get into other servers. It looked to be intricate work and if he was anyone else he probably wouldn’t have understood a thing about it. He’s done the same thing in the past, breaking into human servers and other private networks in order to get whatever information he needed.

Saffron continued to work in complete silence and Zim started to wonder what he was supposed to do. She wasn’t giving him a task or a chance to prove himself. What was going to happen today? Was this the only thing that they were going to do?

“Fuck.” Saffron hissed out quietly. She shut the laptop after that and put it back into her bag, “We’re going to have to move.”

“What, why?” Zim watched her head to the window, forgetting her coffee.

“We need to get into the police station, I found the security footage of the incident, and while I got rid of that they still have a hard copy, and I need that footage.” She began climbing out of the window, and Zim was right behind her.

“How are we going to get in there without being discovered?” He questioned, needing to know this.

“Not here.” She led him down the block and into an alleyway. She moved so quickly that Zim nearly lost sight of her at least twice. Without a word she cut through alleyways and rooftops, parkouring onto other buildings until she climbed up a fire escape and opened a window to the top floor, ducking through the blue curtain. Zim stopped at the window, looking around the area and mentally remembering this spot before following her inside. It was a studio apartment. He didn’t really look around to study the interior, his eyes following Saffron as she shrugged off her bag and stepped over to a closet. He looked down to a table and saw a photo of Saffron as a child along with someone else. He became curious, slowly reaching out…

“Don’t touch anything.” She said before he could lay a claw on it. His hand recoiled and instead he folded his arms, looking over as she pulled something from a box. “Is this your domicile?”

“No, this is some stranger’s house that I’m currently ransacking.” She replied sarcastically, pulling out a case and turning to him. “We’re going to need these.”

He went over to her, peering at the case. “Eh?”

She opened it up and took out the ear piece, handing him one of them. “You want to participate, right? Well you’re going to get into the police station.”

Zim peered at the ear piece, realizing that he had no ears to speak of. How… “What am I doing?” He pocketed the piece for now.

“You’re going to cause a public scene and they’re going to arrest you,” Saffron said seriously, “I’m going to be settled in a vehicle near the alleyway of the station. I want you to get yourself out of that cell and retrieve or destroy that security disc.”

He looked skeptical, “How will I know what disc to retrieve?”

“That’s the point of the ear piece, idiot.” She took hers out and placed it into her ear, “I’m going to tell you where to go, the hard part is getting yourself out of that cell, but this is where I come in.” She pulled on a wide smile, her blue eye sparkling mischievously. “I’m going to cut off the power and the security to the station and give you a time frame to make your move, all you have to do is follow my instructions and get what you need.”

Zim nodded slowly, quickly understanding what her plan was. This was the moment he was waiting for. This was going to be his time to make an impact. He was going to impress her with this task, and she will finally look at him with adulation and not annoyance. After this mission he was going to get what he deserved, the appreciation of his leader and the affection of his female.

Saffron kept her smile, because this was the moment she was waiting for. This was how she was going to get rid of Zanthony. Getting him sent to jail was just the first step, the next one would be to have him caught red-handed skulking around the police station and be sent to prison. He wouldn’t be able to bother her anymore, she would be able to get back to her normal routine, and she wouldn’t have to deal with his annoying presence.

It was a foolproof plan.


	3. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Player two enters the game.

_“EVERYBODY DOWN ON THE GROUND!”_

While Zanthony broke in to rob the jewelry store, Saffron was inside the coffee shop across the street. She listened calmly to the screams of the civilians while the man did his best to sound intimidating, ordering a latte and a scone while the customers inside the cafe went on their day without any clue that there was a robbery taking place.

She took a sip of her vanilla latte, stepping out onto the terrace and taking a seat to watch as a few people ran out of the store and the bell went off. Everyone within listening distance was starting to figure out what was going on, and she only chuckled to herself while the people went into a panic and the faint sound of police sirens became louder and louder.

He was supposed to get caught, so a botched store robbery sounded perfect. No one would suspect that he had ulterior motives, because he was an idiot when you thought about it.

The last thing Saffron wanted was Zanthony to become part of Domino’s crew. He had already caught the boss’s attention with how he managed to get a shipment that was meant for the other mafia group, which wasn’t even something that he was trying to get. It was strange to her that this one random man that came out of nowhere had all these skills and became so popular with her coworkers. Though yesterday was a brilliant scene, the sad part about it was that Domino didn’t even get angry. He only let Zanthony off nicely without a threat or a warning. What did this guy have that made him such an enigma? Who was this man and what had he been doing before dropping into her lap? She tried to get information on him, tried to run his picture through countless databases and her private contacts, only to get nothing out of it. It was like Zanthony had appeared out of thin air and that was very suspicious. Saffron didn’t like it, she didn’t trust him. She didn’t want him near her, Damien, or Domino. This would make sure that Zanthony would be gone and away and she was intending on having it stay that way.

By the time the police sirens became louder Saffron was halfway done with her coffee, watching the police cars fill the street and policemen shouting.

“Don’t put up a fight, or they’ll shoot you.” Saffron said into the microphone on her person. She could hear the commotion and screaming, and Zanthony was heard grunting.

_“Don’t touch me!”_ His voice snarled.

Saffron rolled her eye, finishing off her coffee and getting up, passing by the onlookers while Zanthony was bodily dragged out of the jewelry store and into a cop car. She causally made her way into the parking lot and got into the car that she used to take him there, starting it up and driving.

The police station was only a few blocks away and she made sure to get there first, parking in the back alley and leaning back in the seat, thinking about what she was going to do.

The security system was a joke in her opinion, in case of emergencies when it had to be cut off the cell doors automatically opened to allow criminals to be freed. It was used in case of a fire or flood or any other situation that needed the criminals out. It really wasn’t hard to break into their system to cut off the security to the station, something she’s done at least once before. The idiots didn’t even know someone had hacked into the system, and so the security flaw wasn’t really fixed in any way.

She listened to the background noise of the cops discussing a football game as they drove Zanthony to the station, his grunts and arguments (“I said not to touch me!”) as he was taken out of the car. The movement as they were being led further into the station. It was only a matter of time. She had been through the motions before, having to be arrested only to wait and be processed, then thrown into the cell.

“You’re doing good, now when you’re in the cell do me a favor and start coughing. That way you won’t alert anyone.” She told him.

Zanthony made another grunting noise, which she took as an affirmative on her instructions. Saffron pulled out her phone and began to play a game. Next to her seat was her bag, her laptop waiting to be turned on and be used.

She had cleared a few levels of her game until she began to hear loud, uncontrolled coughing. It seemed like it was her turn to move. Saffron smiled to herself, putting her phone down and taking out her laptop. Now was the time.

“When the power goes out and the doors open, you have at least ten minutes to work with. Remember the layout of the station.”

Inside the station Zim was waiting. The cell itself was primitive for human standards, metal bars, concrete walls. A strong force of impact could easily take this entire thing down, so he wondered just how she was going to get the doors open. Not like he wouldn’t be able to get out if there wasn’t a way, he had plenty of tools inside his pack that could take care of the bars itself. He stayed quiet, whistling to himself while he patiently waited for his turn.

He didn’t have to wait long. The lights had flickered before shutting off completely, a loud buzzing noise triggered the doors to open. Zim was upright immediately, cloaking himself like he did before. He wasn’t going to take any chances to be seen, proceeding to move when the policemen began to voice their outrage at the power being out. When he realized how dark it was an extension of his pack appeared with night-vision goggles, and instantly he could see everything.

This was the only time he disliked having to be so tall, having less room to maneuver with while he made his way into the main processing room. The police were _everywhere_ , in every area moving like panicked animals.

“Did someone hit a power line?”

“I have no fucking clue, security’s down too.”

“Is everyone else without power?”

“Someone try calling out.”

Zim ignored the humans, keeping close to the wall and trying to remember the layout. He counted two hallways, one of them led to nothing and the other had the room he was in. After a moment of hesitation he went down the left end of the hallway, reading the placards on the doors. _Storage room. Archives. Interrogation room._ What he wanted wasn’t here. Zim thought a bit, retracing his steps. The map he looked at was…the other way around. He was standing on the other end of the station, meaning that his direction needed to be the opposite of what he looked at.

The right hallway was his best bet. From there he found five rooms. _Staff lounge. Locker room. Junior officer’s office. Chief officer’s office. Evidence room._

Evidence room.

There it was!

He tried the knob and with a sigh he managed to open it easily, creeping inside of the room and locking it shut. He had to work quickly. When he turned he could see….boxes… boxes upon boxes upon boxes…. Everything had a serial number written on the side and there was no order he was accustomed to, but the disc he needed was somewhere in here.

Did Saffron know about this?

“Where do I start?” He whispered.

Saffron seemed to be listening on the other end, _“You need a specific serial code. 57200-B.”_

“57200-B…” Zim repeated the code to himself, browsing all the boxes and coming up with nothing. “I don’t see it.”

_“It’s there, you just have to look. Hurry up.”_

Zim grunted in response and began to lift and move boxes. The death of the cop was just two days ago, certainly the box wouldn’t be that hard to find. The room was large, however, aisles and aisles of boxes from other cases for other crimes. He sorted through what was there, sighing in frustration.

“I can’t—“

There was a sudden hum of electricity and everything that was once off was now back on, the light to his goggles becoming brighter, telling him that the power had returned. He looked confused, looking back to the door.

“Saffron?” He whispered, “Female!”

There was a beat of silence before she spoke again, _“I couldn’t keep it off for any much longer, you’re going to have to get it and try to sneak out on your own.”_ Zim couldn’t see her smiling. _“There’s no windows in that room, so you’re going to have to try another room.”_

Zim let out a string of Irken curse words and took off the goggles, returning them into his pack and doubling his efforts to find the box.

The sirens went off then, and Zim froze. “What—“

_“They must have discovered that you’re out.”_ She was hiding a chuckle. _“You need to act fast.”_

Zim hissed out again, oblivious to the other’s intentions. He practically shoved boxes aside, the sirens and the sounds of cops shouting pressuring him to go even faster.

Suddenly, the doorknob was turning and Zim’s head whipped to see the door opening. He ducked away into an aisle as a female cop with a gun stepped inside, ready and aiming. She didn’t say a word, slowly making her way down the first aisle to look for the prisoner and making her way down the second. Zim backed away to the opposite end of the third aisle, spotting a familiar number in the corner of his eye and breaking out into a grin. There’s the box.

When the officer stepped into the third aisle he stopped moving, the woman taking out her flashlight. Zim ducked away quickly as she shone it, knowing full well that his cloaking didn’t make him fully invisible. After a second the woman sighed in relief and picked up the intercom hooked to her uniform. “Evidence room is clear, no sign of him.”

After a muffled command from another person she turned to exit the room, leaving just as quietly as she came in.

Zim breathed his own sigh of relief, going back to the box he had seen just a moment ago and starting to rifle through it, finding the laser disc he needed. He grinned widely, making a happy sound. “I have it.”

What met him was silence.

Saffron had already taken the listening device out of her ear, having switched it for her earbud as she played her phone game. She technically had the whole day with Zanthony to babysit him but now that he was going to prison she was going to use the day to take a short break from her work. Domino didn’t expect her back until nightfall.

She was so into her game that she didn’t notice a head poking itself from one of the windows in the alleyway, the man spotting the car and grinning before he launched himself out and landed haphazardly onto the pavement below. Zim didn’t waste any time, hurrying over to the car and opening the door to slide in. “Dri—“

Saffron screamed at the sudden intrusion, dropping her phone in mid-attack as she turned to see Zanthony take the passenger seat. She reached up to tear the earbuds from her ears. “W-wh-you—but—how—“

“You told me to get out and I got out, now drive before they find us.”

Saffron opened and shut her mouth at least twice before turning to start up the car and peel out of the alleyway. She was dumbfounded in her shock, wondering how the hell he was able to escape without anyone noticing him. What did he do? How was this possible? He should have gotten caught! The thought made her groan in frustration, smacking the steering wheel with her hand before putting on the most sugary of smiles for him. “Good job!” She said with forced enthusiasm, “I’m sure Domino will want to know how you got past twenty cops inside a police station, because I’m sure _eager_ to hear the details.”

Zim smiled smoothly, “It was easy peasy.” He said with a shrug, leaning back against the seat. “So, what are we going to do now?”

Saffron clenched her teeth for a moment before taking a calming breath, “I’m going to need a drink.”

Zim quirked a brow. “You don’t drink.”

She refused to look at him. “There’s a first time for everything.”

* * *

Zim had done something he hadn’t done before, pleasing his leaders. Domino was impressed and ecstatic that he had managed to not only recover what was needed, but not get caught in doing so. Even Damien was impressed by the job. Though the thing he had intended to do was get Saffron’s attention and he managed to do that as well. She wouldn’t stop staring at him the rest of the day. It gave him an ego boost and he felt indestructible. He had managed to capture her interest. His plan now was to get himself promoted into a higher position and actually acquire enough power to sway her away from Domino. He didn’t doubt his abilities now that he had made such an impact as a rookie. He had something these humans didn’t, and that was advanced Irken technology and an alien background.

He could easily become Domino’s left hand.

He didn’t regret letting his mind wander this time, because he felt like he deserved to think about the many things he could do, especially to his female. When he got home he spent at least five hours trying to figure out what else he could do before exhaustion took him and his pack decided to put him in stasis. The inner timer set itself to 5AM, only whirring back to life when it was time.

When he finally began to open his eyes he heard a gun hammer clicking right next to his head.

Saffron was poised over him, settled one-knee on the bed, her eyes narrowed. Yes. _Both eyes._

Zim stilled for a very good reason.

“I’m going to ask this once, and you’re going to tell me the truth, or you’re not going to enjoy the consequences.” She pressed the barrel into the side of his head, “Who are you?”

Zim winced, keeping his hands exposed and thinking quickly. What was this? He assumed everything was going great—but—

He sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Your real name. Where you’re really from. Who are you?” She kept her hand still, her glare was enough to burn a hole through his head.

“Zim!” He cried out when he took a second too long to think about it, trying to figure out how not to be shot in the head in the next thirty seconds. “My name is Zim.”

She thought that over, setting the information aside. “Zim. I knew Zanthony was stupid.” Though Zim also sounded stupid in her opinion, but she wasn’t going to comment yet. “Where are you from?”

Zim winced again, because having your head shoved into a mattress by a gun wasn’t something he wanted to go through. “If I answer you will you remove that gun?”

Saffron again took a moment to think about it, slowly taking the gun away from his head. “Remember who has the power here.”

Zim rightened himself up so that he was sitting right next to her. He kept his eyes on the gun, thinking about his options. All he had to do was stall for now. “I’m from the northern east.”

She blinked, “New York? That’s…” It didn’t make sense, he came from across the country.

He shook his head, “No, more northern and more east-y.”

“Canada?”

“More.”

“…Greenland.” She was starting to get annoyed, putting her gun in her holster to stand up and run her hands through her hair.

Zim took that moment instantly, jumping up to shove her against the wall, reaching for her wrists to restrain her. She cried out and retaliated, putting her strength into pushing him away. When Zim began to see the tendrils he braced himself, the appendages pushing him with enough force to make him topple over the bed. As soon as he had fallen over she had taken out her gun, firing multiple shots in his direction. Zim had activated his forcefield right before they landed, hissing out as the bullets deflected off of him. It caught Saffron off-guard, but she tossed the gun aside and removed the cane from the strap behind her back, attacking him with her other weapon instead. Zim managed to stop the blade from hitting him by catching it with his palms, struggling to hold it back while she tried to lunge it forward. He hissed out again, managing to use his foot to kick her abdomen hard enough that she fell back against the wall. The sword was dropped and Zim advanced, pinning her with his own pack legs just as her tendrils wrapped around his throat and arms.

The two of them were breathing heavily, staring at each other with murderous intent, neither one making a move but ready unless the other did. Their faces were just mere inches apart, unaware to the sounds around them. Zim moved first, suddenly, pressing forward and capturing her lips into a possessive kiss. Saffron went still, confused and stunned, slowly drowning from the intensity before she reacted in kind, her eyes falling shut. The tendrils around Zim’s throat became lax the more he pressed on, taking control while his hands moved to grab her shoulders. Saffron only sighed, accepting the intrusion of the alien’s tongue that slipped past her open mouth to taste her as her knees buckled. He managed to keep her upright, weakening her resolve with just the kiss alone. Her tendrils had fell away from his wrists by the time he broke the kiss, the two of them staring at each other as they both caught their breaths. Saffron was flushed and panting, staring at Zim without any words. He only chuckled and leaned in again for another turn.

The sounds of sirens stopped him from going any further, the two of them exchanging glances before realizing that they were responding to the gunshots. Zim released her instantly, but she grabbed his wrist while heading for the window.

“What—“

“Hurry.” She said quickly, leading him to the fire escape and onto the roof, from there she parkoured to another rooftop, Zim rolling his eyes and using his spider-legs to launch himself over. Saffron watched, but said nothing, turning and pointing him to a far away building.

The sirens were fainter by the time they made it to the abandoned building, and Saffron settled herself against the wall of the third floor, running her hands through her hair.

“I—“

He stepped forward and pressed his lips against hers again, catching Saffron off-guard. She reached up to push him away but Zim caught her hands with his pack legs, pinning them to the wall. He broke the kiss after a moment, reaching up to run his claw along her chin.

“What are you?” She finally found the ability to talk, trying to figure Zim out.

Zim thought about it, deciding that it was time to expose himself. With a thought his disguise began to flicker away and his alien form took presence. She went quiet, staring at him, mainly the red eyes. She remembered those red eyes, green skin, antennae…

“Holy shit.” She blurted out, laughing slightly. “I thought I was seeing…you—this explains—“ She couldn’t find any words to what she was seeing, not knowing where to start.

Zim grinned, “It’s about time you’ve been rendered speechless.”

She kneed him in the gut, using the moment he was stunned to get free. She didn’t have her gun or sword anymore, left without a weapon, but something told her that he wasn’t here to kill her. It would have happened if that were the case. “You’re a fucking alien.”

The pack legs returned to his pack and he followed her while she did her best to put distance between them. “So are you.” He pointed out.

She turned to him and pointed to her eye, “No, I’m a demon. That’s completely different.”

“Eh?” Zim looked confused. He vaguely heard of demons from Dib’s rambling but never had he thought they were real. “These creatures exist?”

Saffron wasn’t phased, because the general consensus on demons was that they were still a myth. “Well, I didn’t think aliens existed but here we are.” She stepped over to him, reaching out to feel his antennae. “What kind of alien are you?”

Zim shuddered when she began feeling his antennae, letting out a strange purring sound as he leaned into the touch. Saffron didn’t expect the reaction, recoiling her hand and chuckling a little.

It took a moment for Zim to recollect himself. “Don’t do that again.” He said then, looking away. “I am of a race that are called Irkens.”

Saffron nodded, tempted to reach forward and feel his antennae again, as the reaction she received was one that amused her. “Irken.”

“What kind of demon are you?” Zim questioned.

The woman thought about her answer for a moment before shrugging, “Dunno. I’m just here.”

“Explain.”

She sucked in a breath, moving to a window and gazing to the city below. “I don’t know what I am, we were experiments. All I know is that I’m a demon, not what kind.”

Zim picked up on a key word, _we_ , which meant there was more than one of her. He opened his mouth to reply but shut it, rethinking his question and deciding to keep it to himself. He didn’t want to overstep his boundaries when she was finally letting him know a little about her, now that she wasn’t staring at him with malice.

Saffron crouched next to the window so she could lean against the wall. “You’re a fucking alien.” She was still amazed by that, “That explains why I couldn’t track you down, it explains why you’re so inhumanly talented. Jesus Fucking Christ that’s why you got out of that prison.” Everything that happened was finally starting to come into perspective, now that she knew the truth. “Even the explosion…”

Zim folded his arms, “I didn’t expect to be working with human chemicals, otherwise I’m a highly talented scientist.”

She looked back at him, “You’re the whole gambit.” She said in her own disbelief.

He shrugged, having the strongest urge to proclaim how great he was, his ego was crawling up onto him and that was his biggest problem. He did his best not to let that happen, because no matter how great he thought he was, he still wasn’t good enough. Not just yet.

The silence between them extended and Saffron stood back up. She intended to kill him after getting the information but now that she was given such a big reveal she felt conflicted. If he was just a normal human perhaps he would have been dead five minutes ago but no, he was an alien - and apparently a very formidable adversary.

This put a hitch in her plans, he was the wild card now. Everything she had been working towards could be ruined if she didn’t play this correctly. Zanthony…Zim, was now one of the chess pieces on the board she was working with, and he didn’t play by the rules of the game. She kept her eyes on Zim, trying to think of her next move.

This move was going to either ruin her plans or set everything into motion.

* * *

The man stepped out of the plane, the scowl on his face having been there ever since the flight had taken off. All he could think about was Him and how he might be doing stupid shit, or how this could be another plan to take over the planet. No one knew at this point, His motives were as erratic as his actions, but He was too stupid to think of the aftermath of his actions.

Like when He decided to steal a credit card out of Dib’s wallet and proceeded to wrack up tonnes of charges. Did he actually think that Dib wouldn’t find out? Was Zim actually that stupid that he failed to realize that credit cards came with history of purchases or that someone would call him to alert him of fraudulent charges? For an alien, He loved to do things without researching it beforehand.

Dib wanted to catch the alien in the act, so he decided to allow Zim to continue making those charges. His father would take care of it eventually. All he needed to do from there was track them down to pinpoint his location, and after that see what Zim was planning on doing all the way across the country. If this was an attempt to do anything without Dib knowing, then he really fucked that plan up.

As soon as he made his way out of the airport Dib took out a paper and unfolded it, having written down the address of the hotel that Zim was staying at. He had to pick out a place where it cost him one-hundred and eighty bucks a night, did he?

Dib put the paper away and hailed a cab, telling the driver where he wanted to go and sitting back. He only had one carry-on bag at his side, but he didn’t plan on being there for more than a couple of days. Finding Zim would be fast.

When the car parked outside the hotel Dib noticed police cars. He had the urge to slap his hand over his face, wondering what he had done to provoke the police. He paid the driver and left the car, in his haste forgetting that he brought a carry-on. “Wait!” He cried out as the driver pulled away, but it was too late, they had turned the corner and were gone. Dib let out a tired and agitated groan, wondering what else could happen today. At least he still had his wallet…

Dib turned back to the hotel, glancing at the cop cars before making his way inside. The room was under his own name, which made Dib wonder if Zim made a fake ID for such a thing. He probably did, Dib thought. He went up to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. “Hello I seemed to have lost my key.”

The woman tilted her head in confusion, not having seen him before. “Your key, what room are you staying in?”

“Suite 15, under the name Dib Membrane.” He kept his smile, which was the only smile he’d probably give to anyone today.

“Hm…” She looked over at her records, nodding to herself and looking back up at him, “Well, Mr. Membrane, something happened in your room, there was shots fired, the police are looking it over currently.” She gave him a weary look, “You were…out?”

Dib nodded, “I wasn’t in my room at the time.”

“You may want to go up there and pick up any personal effects.” She said then, “You also may need to give the police an interview.” She picked out another keycard and slid it over to him.

Dib took it without hesitation, making his way to the elevator. What was Zim doing that warranted him a fight with guns? He didn’t even use Earth weapons! He entered the elevator, folding his arms and waiting to get to the desired floor.

Once he gotten near ‘his’ room, he found that the door was open and a cop was inside. He stepped further in, seeing a man picking up a sword, his brown hair ungodly unkempt and his green eyes shielded by glasses. Was he one of the forensics team? He had to be.

“Sir, this is a crime scene.” Said one of the police.

“—uh sorry, but this is my room.” Dib said to him, loud enough for the brunette male to perk his head up, staring at Dib as he told the cop his name.

“You’re Dib Membrane?” The cop questioned.

Dib nodded, “Yes.”

“Where were you exactly around 5AM this morning?”

“I was at the airport.” He said honestly.

“The airport.”

“Yes, meeting a friend.” How was he supposed to tell him that he just flew in today on a red-eye. At least he could say that he was at the airport.

The cop wrote the note down, “Do you have any witnesses who can collaborate with your story?”

“The workers at the Starbucks counter had seen me, I even have the receipt.” He took the receipt out from his jacket pocket, showing it to the man. He hoped that was evidence enough.

The cop nodded, deciding to keep the receipt. “Do you have any idea just who could have been in your room while you were away?”

“No idea, sir.” Dib lied again, “I’m not even from here, I’m visiting from New York. It sounds like a coincidence.”

The man nodded, pausing. “You’re not…related to Professor Membrane, are you?”

_Oh here we go._ Dib fought the urge to roll his eyes, “Yes, I’m his son.”

The man looked impressed, “The same hair and everything. Well, I have nothing else to ask you, your story checks out.”

“Is this going to be a bigger case than it should be?” Dib wondered, “Just asking because…my dad and all.” Thankfully he had a famous parent he could use for excuses.

The cop shook his head, understanding the concern. “Nothing to worry about, it seemed like a territory scuffle. There’s gangs in this city, Mr. Membrane, just the normal turf war.”

The forensic scientist snorted in amusement.

The cop only glanced at the man for a brief second, turning his attention back to Dib. “There wasn’t any bloodshed or bodies, so this won’t become an ordeal. You won’t be called on again.”

Dib breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.”

The scientist said nothing, going about his business, taking photos of the bullet holes in the wall. When they weren’t looking the man snapped a photo of Dib as well, needing that for his own research.

This is the place he was told to go, and that was the person he was told to get. He continued his job, extracting the bullets from the areas he found them and bagging up the sword, looking for anything else he needed to take care of. Gathering every piece of evidence was crucial to him.

When Dib had finished all of the cop’s questions he lingered in the room, watching the forensic scientist do his job. He stepped over to him, curious. “Just what happened here?”

Avery straightened up from his position, looking over at Dib. He adjusted his glasses, “There was a struggle, you can tell from the gunshots in the wall. From what it looks like no one was harmed, but as soon as we came to the scene whoever had the fight were long gone.” He held out his hand, “Avery Lycroft.”

Dib shook his hand, sighing. “This is what I get…” He mumbled to himself.

“I’m curious however, if someone else was here while you were gone, why did they have _your_ key?”

The question was straight forward and to the point, but Dib didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t start talking about Zim, because he told the cop he didn’t know who was in the room while he was gone. Technically it would be perjury. “I have no idea.” He said finally, “So there’s no blood or anything?” He hoped not, the last thing he needed to do was to explain away alien blood.

“None that I can find, and I’ve done a thorough search.” Avery smiled slightly.

“Lycroft, are you finished?”

“Pretty much.” Avery went over to pick up everything he had, “Have a good day, Mr. Membrane.” With that he left, and so did the cop. Dib was left alone in the room, wondering what happened to Zim that involved guns _and_ a sword. Nothing made sense.

“The fuck is going on here?” Dib asked himself.


	4. The Other Foot

Dib wondered to himself if Zim was going to come back to this hotel room. He needed Zim to come back to this hotel room. Though he worried about what have happened. Did the fight in the room escalate to somewhere else? Zim wasn’t the type to stop fighting, so it may have moved somewhere else, there may have been a chase. Who did he piss off so much that he would end up fighting them? There were real guns involved, Zim wouldn’t have been hurt by real bullets. There was no way in hell that Zim could be taken down by a man-made gun.

Though there was also a sword, which Dib had no idea why a sword was involved.

He ran his hands through his hair, his shoulders were tense and he knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep. He had to find information, but he didn’t know where to start. Zim had been doing everything under his own name. The hotel registration, the identification, who knows what else. He had to wonder if Zim was making himself look like Dib, or maybe he only took the name and not the face. If Zim did take Dib’s whole identity for whatever plan he was concocting, then it was the stupidest way to mock him.

Thankfully, he had his phone, though he couldn’t really ask Gaz for help could he? Neither could his father, come to think of it. They didn’t even know he had boarded a plane to go across the country to find Zim. Technically he was supposed to be at the college right now. He hated that every time Zim did anything that he had to drop whatever he was doing so he could stop it.

At the moment he was back outside, looking for a small store so he could stock up on a few things, because he had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be a day-long excursion. If he was going to hunt down Zim he needed some caffeine… especially since his flight was last night and he hardly got any sleep on the plane ride there.

He found a small minimart and for the first time since he landed here he began to look relieved, going into the store and straight to the drink section. He was so absorbed in thinking about Zim that he failed to notice the two figures that had been following him, both looking out-of-place and stuck out like a sore thumb. People who had passed them knew who they were, however, opting to stay away from them.

Identical looking men, both wearing black blazers that were lined in plaid. Red for the one man, green for the other. Underneath those blazers were white dress shirts, untucked and while one wore red and the other green, their pants were the alternating plaid, black belts hanging off their waist. The twins even had the same hair style, yet one had a braid to the right and the other had a braid to the left, both naturally red. Their eyes an identical blue.

While Dib was picking out what he wanted, the twins entered the minimart, the one in red lingering at the door while the one in green saluted the owner, who had instantly froze.

“How’s business treatin’ ye, Frank?” The one in green spoke in an Irish accent.

“I bet it’s doin' pretty well. ‘Ave ye been ‘avin trouble lately?” The one in red questioned, actively blocking anyone from entering or leaving.

Frank only shook his head demurely. “N-no I haven’t been having trouble.” He said quietly.

“Aye, because we’re protectin’ ya sorry arse, aren’t we Gil?” The one in green smiled.

“That we are Brae, that we are…” His eyes finally fell onto Dib, who had an armful of energy drinks and making his way to the front.

The owner looked purely nervous, but Braiden only snorted in amusement, stepping aside for Dib to pay. “Don’t be nervous ya lump. We’re not ‘ere for a payment.” He moved to slide his arm around Dib’s shoulders. “We’re here for ‘im.”

Gillian grinned widely, “We ‘ave some business with this one.”

Dib went still, looking over to the tall Irishman. What was going on now? “What?”

“Oh, the poor dog.” Gillian clicked his tongue, hanging off the top of the door hinge.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to ‘urt ye.” Braiden led him away, and Gillian broke away from the door to let his brother out and moving over to Dib’s right, Braiden hanging on Dib’s left. “We just ‘ave some questions is all.”

Dib was getting confused and annoyed at the same time. First he lost his carry-on and now he was being hounded. “Questions about what?”

“We’ll ask them when we’re where we need to be.” Gillian smiled, the two of them leading Dib to a jet black car. Dib felt a cold chill climb up his spine, looking around to notice people looking away quickly, having stared at him a split second beforehand.

Braiden opened the door and shoved Dib inside, following him while Gillian moved to sit at the other side, the two sandwiching him in the tight space. In the front seat was a driver, one with blonde hair and a sadistic grin.

“Buckle up.” The man chided.

“Oh shut it.” Braiden kicked the back of the driver’s seat, “Drive, Lark.”

“Oh, you wound me.” His voice was a rich baritone, something that sounded like it could provide a warm glaze over anything. “I hope you didn’t scare him, now.”

“We were good.” Braiden told him, smiling at Dib.

“It took a lot of restraint, didn’t it Brae?”

“That it did, Gil.”

Dib was starting to panic, wondering what the fuck was going on. Why did these people pick him up? Where were they going? Why _him_? “Can you just tell me what’s going on?”

“Oh, I smell the fear.” Brandon chuckled, “It’s delicious.”

“I wouldn’t fall for it.” Braiden folded his arms behind his head. “E’s in with Saffron.”

“Saffron? Who’s Saffron?” Dib cried out.

The twins laughed simultaneously. “Nice try, but we’ve already got your information.” Braiden said then, “We know you’ve been working with Saffron.”

“It’s impossible to deny your involvement.” Brandon said as Gillian kept up his laughter. He calmed down after a moment, and Brandon rolled his eyes,

“Just keep your hands visible and don’t try to fight, it’ll be easier on all four of us if we don’t have to kill you before you can talk.”

Dib’s panic levels were rising, “Kill me?” He cried out, “I didn’t do anything! I just got here! What do you want from me?”

“Listen to ‘im, playin’ dumb.” Gillian looked amused, “Clam it, we got ye picture from our informant as well as the credit card statements.”

Dib felt the blood pumping in his veins. Did Zim really disguise himself as Dib? Is this why he was being kidnapped by three thugs? Dib had the overwhelming urge to find Zim and strangle him, was this his plan?

“You have the wrong person.” Dib said shakily. “Honestly, this is just a misunderstanding.”

“I’d love to hear how it would be a misunderstanding.” Brandon chimed in, glancing at the rear view mirror, taking the car to a snazzy looking hotel. The Hotel Rosealia. The building looked to be thirty stories tall, surrounded by pristine looking gardens and elegant fountains. People were coming in and out of the hotel itself. The black car drove into the roundabout, parking at the front of the hotel. Braiden got out first, bringing Dib along with him while Gillian brought up the rear, the black car driving off afterward. Dib looked scared, looking at the hotel and wondering why they were there.

Braiden waved at a receptionist while Gillian winked at another, the two women becoming flustered at the sight of them. The guests paid them no mind, looking varied from sheikhs to Japanese businessmen. It looked to be one of those hotels that only housed the best of the best, wherein the rooms themselves were probably in the thousands for a one-night stay.

The twins were silent, taking him to an elevator in the back of the hotel lobby. Braiden took out a key and stuck it into a slot next to a button, turning it and pressing the button beside of it before taking it back out. Dib kept his eyes on the key, how Braiden placed it back into his pocket. Gillian only grinned, watching Dib.

“Ah-ah, we don’t allow wandering eyes.” He reached up and turned Dib’s head back to the front, and Dib was still feeling anxious.

The elevator descended underground, and Dib wondered what was so secure that it needed a key to get to? Were they taking him to be tortured? Who was Zim associating with so much that it got Dib kidnapped? Was this a gang?

The cop said there were gangs here…

He felt sick.

When the elevator settled on the lowest floor the doors opened, and Dib was treated to a strangely well-decorated lobby. It didn’t even look underground. There was a receptionist at the front desk and she smiled at the sight of them. “Braiden! Gillian! Come back so soon?”

The two men only smiled at her, “Daye, ye waited for us? That’s sweet.”

“You’re as sweet as an apple tart.” Gillian broke away from Dib to go over to the woman, someone who stood out in her clothing choices, wearing something that almost looked like gothic Lolita in violet, and especially with her black curled pigtails. He reached over to grasp her hand and kissing it, but Monday tugged it back, blushing and finally regarding Dib. “Is he the rookie for the Syndicate?”

“That ‘e is.” Braiden smacked Dib’s shoulder, “We’re takin’ ‘im to see Matthew.”

“Matthew is in a good mood today.” The woman told them, “He might not die.”

Dib felt the need to run, “Might not die?” He cried out.

“Don’t worry!” Braiden pat his back again, “Ye won’t be dyin’.”

“Not unless ye prove to be useless.” Gillian added, smiling over at him. That did nothing to ease Dib’s nerves, and he groaned. Finally the two broke away from the pretty receptionist and ushered Dib down one of the hallways, and Dib could see some other people passing by. They looked almost like business men and women by their attire. The twins didn’t even look like they belonged there.

When they approached a certain room Gillian knocked on it three times before opening the door and walking in. Braiden shoved Dib in first, keeping the rear. The room was a regular office, a fake photo of a sunny skyline taking over the back wall behind the main desk. Sitting at the desk was a man, a man with tired eyes and unkempt hair wearing a black tuxedo. Peeking out of his sleeves were tattoos that covered his hand and possibly extended beyond that. His chin was in his hands, staring at Dib thoughtfully. “So you found him.” He said then.

“Wasn’t that ‘ard to miss.” Braiden told him cooly.

“The ‘air is a dead giveaway.” Gillian smiled, “Do we get our finder’s fee?”

Matthew rolled his eyes at the question. “Yes, you get your finder’s fee.” He said in an exhausted tone, “Not like I already pay you or anything.”

“You pay us to burn things down, not to find another person.” Braiden corrected him, “It takes time out of our day when we could be doin’ things like collecting loans.”

Burn things down? Collecting loans? Dib stared at the two men in bewilderment, wondering who the fuck they were? “What is this place?” He asked suddenly. “Where exactly am I?”

The twins laughed and Matthew snorted in amusement.

“You, my friend, are in the Crimson Brotherhood’s main base of operations.” Matthew explained, “Though I wouldn’t worry about where you are currently, I’d worry about where you will be if you don’t give me the answers I want.”

Dib swallowed thickly, “I told them before, you have the wrong person. I just got here.” He explained, “I haven’t even been here for five hours!”

“That ol’ excuse again.” Braiden mused, “Common brother, let’s take Daye out for a drink.”

Gillian couldn’t be much more eager, making his way to the door as Braiden held it open, the two leaving quickly.

Matthew only watched Dib, gesturing to the chair next to him. “Sit down.”

Dib was hesitant to do so, “I’m being honest you know. You have the wrong person.”

“When a man offers you a seat, Dib, you take it.” Matthew told him, taking out a silenced pistol and placing it in front of him. “You should listen to what the man says.”

Dib nodded quickly and moved to sit down, super aware of the gun that was brought out. “What can I do to prove that you have the wrong person?”

Matthew folded his hands together, “Our informant says you’re the one who was renting out that room at the hotel, and there has been sightings that Saffron has been visiting that room. We know you’re involved, we’ve seen the evidence of the shoot out. We know what weapons she uses.”

“Who’s Saffron?” Dib asked weakly.

“You don’t know who Saffron is.” Matthew chuckled, “Has she been giving you another name?”

“I don’t know any girl in this city!” Dib cried out, “I’m from New York, my father is Professor Membrane! You know Professor Membrane do you? I live in Bycoast, I’m going to college there!”

The fact that Dib was trying so adamantly to tell him that he wasn’t the one they were looking for made Matthew wonder if that were true, or that it could be the biggest lie and the rookie was about to piss himself because he was caught. He was in a good mood today, so he felt like humoring the man. “If you’re not from here, prove it.”

Dib went to his pocket and Matthew quickly grabbed his gun. Dib stilled, “I’m only getting out my wallet!” He said anxiously. “Just that!” When Matthew set the gun down Dib continued, pulling out his wallet. Inside was his ID and his plane ticket. He pulled the two of them out and tossed them onto the desk. “I got here hours ago, it was to follow a lead. Someone had been using my credit card to wrack up a tonne of charges and I wanted to find them.”

Matthew took the ID in his hands, checking it. The state was right, New York, and when he looked at the plane ticket he saw the same corresponding evidence. “Who are you following?”

Dib felt a cold chill go down his spine. He couldn’t really out Zim could he? Was Zim really involved with a crime syndicate? He didn’t even know how that would work. “I’m following a man who stole my credit card.” Dib said then, “Other than that I don’t know who he is.”

Matthew thought about it, looking over the evidence again. The story seemed solid. He suddenly had questions for his informant, but the fact of the matter was that he now had a civilian in his base, and he’s seen too much. “It’s a shame,” He said then. “If you were involved, I’d have a use for you…but now I don’t.” He picked up the gun again, weighing it in his hand. “What to do, what to do.”

That cold chill turned into a freezing electrical shock, and Dib’s back stiffened, “D-d-don’t kill me please! I can be useful! I’m not just a normal person, I have talents!”

The boss quirked a brow in his direction, still thinking. The kid had talents, maybe he wouldn’t be a waste. “What kind of talents?”

“I’m a hacker.” Dib told him, his eyes were stuck on the gun that was being weighed in the other’s hand. That’s all he could stare at. “I know how to breech government systems and anything else that has a firewall. I’ve been doing it since I was ten.”

That sounded interesting, Matthew thought to himself. He kept staring at Dib thoughtfully. It would be a shame to murder the son of a celebrity, that would be very hard to cover up. Though, if he had something they could use, then perhaps it wouldn’t really be a bust. “I could always use more of you under my wing.” He said quietly, finally setting the gun down. “How about I make you a deal. You work for me, and I won’t kill you.”

The offer of staying alive sounded better than the alternative, Dib nodded slowly. This meant he wasn’t going home, was he? Zim and his fucking antics got Dib enrolled into a crime syndicate. He made a mental note to kick Zim’s ass the next time they met face to face. “I don’t really have anything else on me.” Dib said honestly, “I only came here thinking I’d be gone the next day.”

“Well, plans change.” Matthew stretched his arms, “If you’re good enough you won’t have to worry about anything. I’ll cover your basic needs. Though, you won’t be going back to New York any time soon, and if I even get a hint that you’ve skipped town I will have my dogs on you and you won’t live to see the next day.”

That was enough incentive to stay in California. “Understood…uh…” He looked around, “Can you explain to me what you guys do?”

The question made Matthew bark out a laugh, “What do we do? Have you ever heard of a mafia kid? We’re one of the top gangs in this town.”

Dib nodded slowly, “And…who’s Saffron?”

“Outsiders like you wouldn’t know who Saffron is. She’s a household name in this city. She’s the Syndicate’s number two and their top information gatherer. She knows everything and anything that goes on in the city and she’s also cozy with the leader, Domino. We’ve been trying to get her taken down for years.”

“And so the person who stole my card is doing something with her?”

“We’ve gotten information.” Matthew stood up, “The Syndicate is hosting a newbie but no one knows who he is or what he looks like. We got people who tail Saffron and she’s been seen going to that hotel room about three times and some mysterious guy with a hoodie. It’s how we got your name, we had someone inside give us the information on the room that was visited, we have a person working with the police department that gathers what we need and removes anything that needs to be traced. He’s the one who gave us your picture.”

As soon as he said that there was a knock at the door. Matthew thought about it before sighing, “In.”

Dib turned to the door, watching as the familiar face of the forensic scientist walked through the threshold. “You!” Dib cried out.

Avery paused for a moment, ignoring Dib to look at Matthew. “That was fast.”

“We’re efficient people.” Matthew replied, “But he’s not our guy.”

“Are you sure?” Avery went over to the desk, “Same name.”

“Same name, different person.” Matthew explained, “Someone stole this man’s credit card and used his name for the hotel.”

Avery nodded in understanding, finally looking at Dib. The man in question was only glaring at Avery, feeling the urge to kick him. “You set me up.” He growled out.

Avery didn’t look phased at Dib’s anger. “I was doing my job.” He gave him an amused look, “So why is he still here?” He asked Matthew.

“The kid proves to be a little more useful than he was before. Say hello to your new partner.”

The two men froze and looked over at Matthew, Avery looking a lot more offended than Dib. “What do you mean new partner?” Avery cried out. “I told you before, Matthew, I work alone.”

“I don’t want to work with this guy!” Dib shouted in his own anger.

Matthew continued to let them voice their disputes like children who were going through a tantrum, rolling his eyes and pulling out a cigarette so he could light it up and take a drag. By the time he exhaled the two men were glaring at each other. “Are you done?”

“No, I’m not done.” Avery ground out. “It was the biggest stipulation I gave you when I said I’d work for you, I don’t work with other people.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the boss.” Matthew grinned slightly, “You need to learn how to play well with others, Avery.”

The man cast another glare at Dib before moving to slap his palms onto Matthew’s desk. “I’m doing you two favors. I’m your top information gatherer and your fucking cleaner, what more do you want from me? I’m not going to babysit a kid.”

“Hey.” Dib stood up, “I’m not a kid for one thing, and I’m pretty good with what I can do.”

Avery didn’t bother looking at Dib, reaching over and stealing Matthew’s cigarette so he could take a drag out of it. He seemed to have calmed down after a few more drags, finally looking less hostile than before. “Whatever.” Avery finally said, moving away from the desk and heading to the door, “Do what you want.”

Dib was alone with Matthew again, and he slowly sighed, folding his arms. “I go from being a college student to being in the mob.” He said to himself.

Matthew listened, smirking slightly, “I say it’s a step up.” He mused, “You were probably working a minimum wage job to keep up with your devastating financial aid loans, now you can make enough money to buy your way though college.”

Dib snorted in dry amusement, “For your information I was working as a an IT specialist.”

“How much did it pay?”

The man paused for a moment, going red in the face and looking away, “It was an internship— _but that’s not the point_ —“

Matthew laughed loudly, “I love being right.” He found Dib amusing already, perhaps this wasn’t going to be a bad thing. He was good enough company. “Here’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to provide you with some funds, since you’re not from here. You’ll have enough to get yourself established. I own a penthouse in the middle of town and you’ll be housed in one of them, and feel free to get yourself some clothes and whatever else you need to furnish an apartment. Keep the receipts, bring them back to Monday so she can run it by our financial department.”

Dib blinked, “Why keep the receipts?”

“To know where our money is going. Now there’s a penalty if there’s over five hundred missing in your allocated funds, I don’t like people who steal from me. Once you start getting your paycheck you won’t need to keep any receipts for anything.” He gave Dib a scrutinizing glare, “Are we crystal on that?”

Dib nodded hesitantly, “Yeah, get the necessities, keep receipts, no stealing.”

“Good.” Matthew smiled at him then, “While you’re at it get yourself a disposable phone.”

That was it? He went from being threatened with a gun to being given an allowance in such a quick succession. Was this really happening? Though… Dib didn’t really have a choice in this, did he? If he said no or left he would be dead. In return, however, he was getting a place to stay and money so he could get whatever he needed. This was…strange? He didn’t know how to feel about this.

In a way this was Zim’s fault. Zim stole his credit card, Zim plastered Dib’s name on everything bought with that credit card. Zim got himself involved with another crime organization and now Dib was paying the price for everything while Zim was…doing whatever he was doing. What _was_ Zim doing, and why was he doing it with a mob? Who was Saffron? There were so many questions floating around in his head that he didn’t know where to start.

He finally stood up, feeling ready to leave. “What do I do now?”

Matthew took out another cigarette. “Go to Monday at the front desk, she’ll give you what you need. Now remember, in this job I rely on honesty and trust. Deceive me in any way and you won’t live to see tomorrow, is that clear?”

Dib suppressed the urge to shudder, nodding dumbly and taking back his ID so he could leave.

* * *

The cast of characters in the Crimson Brotherhood was almost out of a drama. There was Matthew Drake, the boss, then there was Avery Lycroft, who was the number one information gatherer of the group. Then you had the twins, Braiden and Gillian O’Brien, loan sharks that had a thing for pyrotechnics. At the very end was Brandon Lark, a hitman who loved torture and had a few screws loose. Monday Recktenwald was the only sane one of the bunch, the secretary that was easily frightened. She seemed to be the backbone of the Brotherhood, and someone the twins were very, very possessive over.

There were other branches to the crime organization, like the drug cartel, which were taken care of at another facility far from the hotel, and then the financial department, run by a nameless few that kept track of where money was coming or going.

Dib had a feeling he wasn’t going to go home for a very, very long time.

“I hope you’re happy Zim…because when I find you you’re going to die.” And he would have weapons to make that happen now that he was working for the mafia.

It was Brandon that had taken him to his new penthouse suite, and for a living space he was amazed at how…large it was. Dib didn’t even have furniture and he was supposed to live in this miniature house? “How am I supposed to live here?” He mumbled to himself.

Brandon had been listening, laughing darkly. “Matthew did give you his card, didn’t he? Purchase everything you need to fill it up of course.”

Dib looked over at Brandon, “All this furniture would cost more than my own dorm!” He argued.

“As long as you have the receipts, I’m sure you’re just fine.” The man smirked at him, “Unless you prefer living out of a sleeping bag.” He slapped the other’s back, “Suck it up, fresh meat. Go crazy, you only live once, right?”

Dib swallowed thickly, looking down at the card that Monday had given him. “Not even my dad would give me so much money to play with.” Especially when he had an unlimited bank account.

“Think of Matthew as your dad now, just the cooler one that let’s you throw parties.” Brandon was becoming amused, moving to the balcony so he could lean over it and look down. “Trust me kid, whatever you had previously will be fucking piss poor and pathetic compared to what you’re being given now.” He looked at Dib as the other made his way to the balcony. “Not everyone can find a job through Matthew, and you’re just lucky enough to become part of the main collective. That’s a privilege.”

“I just came here for a couple of days…” Dib groaned.

“Now you’re staying indefinitely, have fun with that.” He straightened up again, “Before I met Matthew I was a freelance hitman, I was living out of a motel and eating whatever I could get my grubby hands on. Now I live in this penthouse and I own fifteen vehicles in my own personal garage and every single one of them is customized to the nines. Matthew has the golden touch kid, learn to roll with it.”

“If Matthew has a golden touch then why is the Brotherhood only second to the Syndicate?” Dib asked honestly.

Brandon took that question in, “Saffron.”

Dib quirked a brow, “Saffron? Who is she?”

“No one knows.” Brandon replied, “She’s an enigma. She’s Domino’s second but she could easily overtake his power and control the entire place. We’ve been trying to catch her for years, but she’s always one step ahead of us.”

“Let me guess, my job will be trying to track her.”

“We have Avery, but he can only do so much. He’s doing two jobs at once. Matthew hit the jackpot when he found you.” Brandon stopped, listening to some thumping noises, looking up at the ceiling. “Speaking of, there’s your new neighbor.”

Dib could hear the sound of smashing glass, and he winced. Did he really live below Avery? “Is he always so…”

“Angry? He’s the pure definition of rage, kid. Matthew is amused by him. Avery has this temper that no one has ever seen before, and it’s worse if you’re caught under his crosshairs. He becomes deadly.” Another smash of glass, more thumping. “I would suggest locking your door at night.”

Dib nodded weakly, taking another sweep of the penthouse. “I’m going to need a bed.” He sighed.

Brandon grinned widely, “I know a good place for furniture.”


	5. Paths

Within a week Dib had picked up a routine. He didn’t have to work from the hotel, so he had the freedom to work from home or wherever he wanted. With Matthew’s money he picked up everything he needed, as well as some goodies and the things he would need to work with. If he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, then he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It took him three days to fully furnish the penthouse with what he needed, another day to change the locks (just in case), and even if Brandon tried to goad him into getting a personal vehicle, Dib refused to go that far. Though, he did get a top-of-the-line gaming laptop for his own use. All the receipts were accounted for and passed on to Monday, to which she was amazed with how sensible he was with Matthew’s money, because when Braiden and Gillian started out, they bought everything they could get their hands on, _including_ vehicles.

Despite being forced to work for the mafia, he was becoming friendly with the Brotherhood’s members, all but one; Avery. It was either that Avery hated him or…no, scratch that, Avery just hated him. Dib could understand it a little, he was doing Avery’s job and the man was insulted by that. Matthew had fully given Avery’s assignments to Dib, and he was taking offense to being outclassed by a rookie.

In Matthew’s defense, the man wanted to lighten Avery’s workload, given that Avery was working in the police department as a cleaner. The man wasn’t fully taking Avery’s main job away from him, he was only giving the majority of it to Dib. Even if it was done with good intentions, Avery was still pissy about it.

Avery was…strange. He had problems with keeping his temper and he smoked constantly because of it. It seemed to be the only thing that kept him calm. He was a far cry from the forensic scientist that he had met in Zim’s hotel room.

Speaking of Zim, that was one of Dib’s assignments, to discover who the man was that they mistook Dib for. He had already called the bank to cancel the card, keeping an eye on the hotel for the time being. There was a spot just outside of the hotel, a small cafe with outside seating. That’s where Dib was finding himself, sitting in the same spot to keep an eye on him. He only told Avery of what he was planning to do, he just hoped that Zim would take the bait.

That’s where he met _her_ , the woman with an eyepatch and her hair done up in a messy bun. Actually, she tripped over the laptop bag he had beside his chair and dropped her coffee. Dib had quick reflexes, able to catch the cup before it fell, smiling at the woman as he handed the cup to her. “Easy there.”

She frowned at him, “I wouldn’t have lost it if you didn’t have your bag there.”

She had a point, and he picked his bag up to put it in the seat beside him. “Sorry, you’re right.”

He expected her to move on with her day, but she didn’t, still staring at him. “You don’t look familiar, are you new here?”

Dib looked perplexed, “How do you figure?”

She smiled, deciding to sit in the seat across from him. He took note of her blue eye. “I know everyone in this city, so it’s pretty easy to spot someone that isn’t from here.”

“Quite a memory if you know everyone in this city.” Dib countered, shutting his laptop. He didn’t want to leave his research exposed.

“I can tell you who does what no matter who you point me at.” She smirked, looking all over the street, “Go on, try me.”

Dib decided to humor her, looking along the sidewalk and pointing to a blonde man leaving the cafe. She gave him one long look, “Edward Nulz, he works as a nurse.”

He didn’t know if she was lying or not, pointing her to an asian mother pushing a stroller.

“Li Kim, she just had a baby boy a month ago, named him Jaliel.” She rested her elbows on the table, putting her chin in her hands. “She’s a teacher at a private school.” She turned her eye back to him, “What’s your name then?”

Dib thought about it, what could it hurt? “Dib Membrane. I work as an IT specialist.”

“Are you here for vacation or…?”

“Just transferred here.” He answered quickly, “I’m from New York.”

She grinned, “I’m Runa Haywood, but my job’s a secret.” She winked at him, and Dib nearly spilled his own iced coffee. He couldn’t tell if that was her flirting with him or not. As he was trying to regain his composure she let out a small laugh. “So tell me Dib, how does a guy like you pull off a trench coat in the summer?” She gestured to the trench coat that was draped over the extra seat.

He took a look at his coat, because that was a good question. “I don’t. Actually, it’s not practical but it’s been my signature look since I’ve been a kid.”

Runa looked amused, “How do you pull that off then?”

“Stay out of the sun and always go somewhere air-conditioned.” He answered sheepishly, laughing slightly when she began to do the same. It must be the heat that was making his face feel warm.

“You’re not abiding by your own rules.” Runa teased, crossing her legs. “You’re sitting out in the sun in one-hundred degree weather.”

“That’s why I took it off.” He replied easily, still bewildered at this conversation. She sounded like she was flirting with him. He didn’t know for sure, because this never happened to him before in his life. He never got this kind of attention back at home, and now he was being picked up from the street. “Excuse me, I’m really dense with this kind of thing…are you…flirting with me?” He needed to know, lest he make a fool of himself.

Runa kept her smile, “Nice to know you’re not stupid. I like smart guys.”

Dib knew it wasn’t the heat anymore, he was actually blushing. He looked away nervously and fumbled for his iced coffee, hoping that would cool him down. Runa only watched on and giggled, taking a sip out of her vanilla latte. She dug into her bag and pulled out a notepad, scribbling down something and tearing the paper away, handing it to Dib. “I have to go to work now, but all you have to do is call me. Let’s meet up again.” She got up after that and took her coffee, turning away to leave.

Dib watched her leave, taking the paper in his hand without looking at it, his eyes still on her retreating form. He looked down at the paper then, counting a number. _A phone number._

He was kidnapped into the mob but he was finally getting a girl’s number.

Mixed blessings.

* * *

Saffron was smiling from ear-to-ear as she made her way to the Kasbah, feeling invigorated about what just happened. There was something about that guy, she couldn’t pinpoint what it was but it interested her all the same. She approached the door and knocked, and Crux let her inside.

“Yeh look ‘appy.” Crux said to her, still not wearing a shirt or shoes.

Saffron turned to him, “Oh, I’m happy alright.” Her smile turned into a grin, catching the girls’ attention. The buxom woman at the bar giggled at the sight.

“She’s happy.”

“It’s not often.”

“Do you think something happened?”

“Did she meet someone?”

“No way! I thought she was with Zanthony.”

As soon as they said it, Zim had appeared from the doors to the back room, his eyes zeroed in on the woman, catching her grin. “You’re happy.” He pointed out, going to her.

She nodded, “Mhm. How’s the room treating you?”

“Eh, a room’s a room. Though I don’t know why you wanted me to stay away from the room I already had.”

“It’s compromised.” She told him seriously, “Don’t go near that place.”

Zim looked cautious, “If you say so, female.” He studied her for a moment, “Why are you smiling?”

She looked amused at his questioning, “Is it so weird that I’m smiling?”

“Yes.” He didn’t waste a moment in replying, “You’re never in a good mood.”

Saffron rolled her eye, going towards the back room. “You’ve just never seen me happy.”

“That’s why I’m suspicious!” He followed the woman, “Especially since I’m not the one who’s done it.”

Saffron laughed, stopping once they got to the back hallway and turning to him, “Isn’t this a little too early to lay your claim on me—“

Before she could react Zim shoved her against the wall. “I believe that already happened, Saffron.”

Nothing was said after that, the two of them just staring at each other with a strange tension between them before Saffron moved her hands to push him back. “Easy there, I never accepted that claim. Besides, I think you might have some competition.” She said it so easily that it got under Zim’s nerves.

“I already know Domino’s intentions towards you.” Zim argued as she continued to step forward, the two of them heading to the elevator. “Don’t tell me you’re leaning that way.”

“Wrong person.” Saffron sing-songed, “He’s not part of the Syndicate.”

“Eh? If he’s not part of the group then who is he?” Zim felt a bubbling urge to murder whoever it was who caught her attention, especially since she was _smiling so much_. Domino was one thing, he could handle that, but another person who wasn’t related to the mafia group? He could easily murder them.

“You don’t know him.” Saffron said with a teasing smile, “Also if you decide to kill him I won’t hesitate to blow your brains out.”

Of course, she was one step ahead of him. Ever since Zim revealed his true self to her she knew just what buttons to push and how to shut him up. Though if he couldn’t kill him, then some violent maiming wouldn’t hurt anyone any. He loved and hated this new dynamic between them, now that she knew he was an alien. He appeared to have gotten closer to her but in reality he still hadn’t moved an inch.

“Just give me a name.” Zim said then, grasping the woman by her arm before she could get inside the elevator. “All I want is one name.”

Saffron stopped, looking over at Zim’s grip on her arm. It was like steel but it refused to harm her in any way. Her eye trailed up to his face, seeing the look of desperation. Oh, there was so much she wanted to do, but she couldn’t, lest it ruin her plans. “Dib Membrane.” She said after a moment of silence, wrenching his grip from his hand before entering the elevator.

Zim was left still, staring at the elevator doors as the name ran though his mind. A familiar face flashed in his eyes and Zim suddenly had more than an urge to kill someone. Dib. It was Dib. But Dib was across the country. Could this be another Dib? Someone entirely different? Either way the boiling rage inside of him was rising and he felt the need to hunt them down so he could kill him—no, Saffron wouldn’t want him dead.

Zim settled for breaking his legs.

Saffron stepped out of the elevator once it reached the second floor, making her way to Domino’s office. She walked in without knocking, catching the owner at his desk going over some papers. He glanced up at her, smiling warmly. “How’s the game?” He asked.

“I’m playing it perfectly.” Saffron replied, shutting the door behind her. “I’ve just set all the pieces into motion. We’ll capture the Queen soon enough.”

Domino grinned, “The pawns don’t know a thing.”

* * *

Zim was on the warpath, because he had a good feeling that Dib Membrane was the Dib Membrane he knew personally and that in itself only pissed him off more than thinking it was some random guy in this city. That meant Dib came here to find Zim, and that also meant that Dib was trying to take what was rightfully his. It was always _Dib_. No matter what Zim did, or where Zim went, Dib seemed to always be behind him to fuck everything up. How did Dib even find him anyway? He didn’t leave any trail, not to his knowledge. The more he thought about it the more he became angry, and the urge to break his legs became an urge to break his arms, ribs, neck, skull, maybe Zim would just shatter every bone in his human body and make it so he’s living off of a tube.

Zim would like nothing more than to destroy that human.

Saffron would kill him if he killed Dib, so injuring him would be okay then, right? Technically it wasn’t killing. It was sending a message. Zim was in a crime organization, he was allowed to send a message through pain. That’s what happens! Though the first thing he had to do was find the big-headed human, and with a head that huge he would probably be easy to spot in a crowd.

While Zim was on the warpath, Dib was on a call with Avery. He was still in the same spot he was in since Runa had left, and still there was no sign of Zim anywhere. “Do you think he’s in with the other group?”

_“He has to be, or else Saffron wouldn’t pay so much attention to him. I still don’t know what he looks like, so far he’s eluded my outside sources. All I know is the word that there’s a new student in school and Domino’s training him.”_

“Who’re your sources?” Dib tapped the surface of the table he was sitting at.

_“They’re my own private sources, their names don’t exist.”_

Dib frowned, “I’m going to need sources.”

_“Then find them your own damn self, I’m not holding your hand.”_

Dib sighed, the tapping becoming strained, “What will happen if I find this person?” He had the temptation to give Zim up, considering all the shit he was being put through, but he didn’t know how to explain to them that they were looking for an alien. He’d probably get laughed out of the mafia, knowing his luck.

_“If you find him then you get an extra cookie for dessert.”_ Avery replied blandly.

“You know I really don’t like your sarcasm.” Dib’s voice became higher, and he finally shut his laptop. “I’m doing my best to be civil to you and you’re just being difficult.”

_“How would you like it if some snot-nosed brat appeared at your place of work and hijacked your job?”_ Avery spat back acidly.

Dib fell silent for a moment, thinking, “I’d at least try to—“

_“Don’t give me that bullshit.”_ Avery hissed out, _“You’d be angry just like I am currently.”_

“You seem to be always angry.” Dib countered, “So there really isn’t that much of a difference.”

There was silence on the other end, because Avery felt like strangling him.

Dib opened his mouth to continue his argument but before he could someone grasped him by the back of his shirt and yanked him back hard. Dib cried out, dropping the cellphone in the process.

“I should have known it was you!” Zim snarled out, dragging Dib aside before the man could struggle free.

“Zim?” Dib cried out, looking around and seeing that the commotion was causing him unneeded attention. “What the fuck?”

“Why is it that EVERY TIME I get somewhere YOU’RE always here to ruin it?” Zim didn’t care if they were getting attention from the people on the street, he wanted to destroy this human right now.

“I should be asking you why you’ve decided that stealing my credit card was a good idea?” Dib snapped back, scrambling to his feet. He didn’t realize that the call was still connected. “What made you think I wouldn’t find out?”

Wait, when did Zim get so tall?

Zim narrowed his eyes, “That doesn’t matter you pig-stink, what matters is that you’re getting in the way, like you ALWAYS do! _Oh, look at me, I’m Dib, I’m going to see what I can do to ruin Zim’s life AGAIN_!”

Dib made sure to keep himself prepared just in case Zim would attack him. He wouldn’t try to kill him in broad daylight in front of dozens of people would he? All he had on him was a switchblade that Brandon forced him to get despite Dib’s distaste to carry a weapon. “What the hell are you talking about? I just got here a week ago! I’m working right now, how am I getting in your way?”

“You know very well what you’re doing!” Zim hissed out, “You’re catching my female’s interests!”

Dib blinked, looking lost. “Wait what—“

“SAFFRON!” Zim snarled out, “Whatever you’re doing to my female I want it to stop! Saffron is mine!”

Saffron? Dib’s eyes widened, so Zim was pursuing Saffron? But what did this have to do with Dib? “I never even met Saffron—“

“LIES!” Zim spat out, “You’re nothing but lies!”

Dib tried to think, wondering just when he could have run into Saffron. All he could come up with was that woman from earlier. “She told me her name was Runa.”

Zim wasn’t listening, pointing at Dib. “I’m only warning you right now, Dib, keep your big head away from my female or I’m going to break every bone in your body!” With that Zim turned away, talking to himself angrily.

Dib stared on, at a loss for words. Was this why the Brotherhood wanted to know who he was? Zim had a thing with Saffron? He tried to think about it, how Zim was actively part of the Syndicate just so he could pursue a woman. Saffron. The most wanted woman in the city. He shook his head, ignoring the people who eventually had resumed their daily routine, walking over to find his cellphone and picking it up. The screen was cracked. “Damnit.” He sighed, checking the call.

Avery had hung up.

Well, he thought, at least Zim was smart enough to not attack anyone during the daytime. Dib went back to his laptop, taking it and putting the computer back into his bag. He didn’t need to look at the hotel anymore.

Though, one question remained. If that girl who slipped him her number was the elusive Saffron…what was he supposed to do with that information?

His phone suddenly began to ring, and Dib answered it, shocked at who was calling, “Matthew?”

“Come to the office now.”

Dib was then met with silence, and he lowered the phone just in time to see Braiden and Gillian parked across the street, the two wearing loud violet and green checkerboard pattern, he wondered if their blazers were custom made. Braiden waved at him, and Dib put his phone away, looking both ways before hurrying across the street.

“Ye need to get your own vehicle.” Gillian said first, his arms hanging out the window of the driver’s seat. Braiden snorted in amusement and opened the door for Dib.

“How did you find me?” Dib asked them, getting into the back seat. Braiden shut the door and went to the passenger’s side.

“Lycroft tracked your phone.” Braiden grinned, “Boss told us to come find ye, says it’s urgent.”

Dib shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering what Avery had done. “You came pretty quickly given the circumstances.” Since he was just on the phone with Avery just a while ago.

Gillian smiled, “We were in the neighborhood.”

The rest of the car ride was relatively silent, mostly on Dib’s end, the twins seemed to have lapsed into another language entirely, Dib wondered if it was Gaelic, given who they were. Something about them having to speak another language while he was in the car unnerved him, like there was something more going on than Dib thought. The twins would break out into laughter every now and then, Braiden glancing back at him while Gillian checked the rear-view every so often.

Eventually, they had arrived to the hotel, and Braiden got out with Dib while Gillian went to park the car. The closer he looked at Braiden’s blazer the more he noticed that the outside was black velvet. “Are those custom made?” He questioned.

Braiden blinked, looking down at his suit, and the purple satin checkerboard lining. “Ye.” He grinned, “One of a kind.”

“You two are…” He tried to find a word for it, “Different.”

“We want to stand out.” Braiden answered, grinning. “Ah, what is taking Brae so long?” He sighed.

Dib looked at him, “You’re Braiden.”

The ginger grinned, “No I’m not, I’m Gillian.”

“No, you’re Braiden.” Dib pointed to his hair, “Your braid is always to the left while Gillian’s is on the right.”

The man grinned wider and moved to ruffle Dib’s hair. “No one thought to pick up on the detail.”

Dib winced when Braiden began to ruffle his head, trying to get out of the way. “I notice fine detail.”

“It’s a shame.”

They needed to fix that.

“Right here, Gil.” Gillian hurried over to them, jogging lightly. Braiden laughed. “What?” The brother looked confused, “What ‘appened?”

“Our cover’s been blown, brother.”

“Already?”

The three of them made their way to the elevator, where Gillian brought out his key and pressed the needed button. Dib didn’t seem too concerned, and yet at the same time he was nervous. Matthew never called him directly. Hell, he hadn’t seen Matthew since the day he was in the man’s office.

The twins didn’t lead him to the office this time, opting to stay at the reception desk and flirt with Monday. Dib paid it no mind, making his way down the right hall and to the door, hearing voices. Dib gave the door a knock, turning the knob.

He didn’t expect to see Avery with Matthew, the man with a cigarette in his mouth as per usual. He didn’t expect anything less when it came to Avery. Matthew, on the other hand, had his chin in his hands, staring at Dib silently, and on the desk was a silenced pistol. A cold chill shot down Dib’s spine and he swallowed thickly. Matthew was in a _bad mood_. “You called?”

“It has come to my attention that something interesting had happened to you earlier today.” Matthew began, “While on a call with Avery you were…accosted.”

Dib looked at Avery, and the man only stood there silently, his arms folded. He looked away from the brunette, opting to make his way to the chair. He wondered how much Avery had heard. “Yeah, I was attacked.” Dib said truthfully.

“It sounded like you knew the person.” Avery said then, unfolding his arms and leaning one arm against the table. “How can you know anyone if you’ve never been here?”

Dib held in a wince, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this. “Can I…be honest with you?”

“I would appreciate that, since you opted to lie to me the first time.” Matthew picked up his gun so he could polish it. “Choose your words carefully, because I work on a one-strike rule, and this has been your first.”

Dib did his best not to let his nerves get to him, “Okay, so his name is Zim and I knew him since I was a little kid, he…do you believe in aliens?”

The question came out of left field and Matthew faltered, quirking a brow and staring at Dib like he was nuts. “What?”

“Aliens.” Dib gestured with his hands, “Beings outside our planet. People not of this earth.”

Matthew felt his temper rising, “Is this just another—“

“Hear him out.” Avery said then, “Don’t jump the gun just yet.”

Dib didn’t expect that from Avery of all people, refusing to look at the man. “He’s from this planet called Irk, and he used to be tiny, the size of a ten year old. He came here to conquer the planet but either he was too stupid to get it done or I stopped him somehow, but ever since then he’s always been this… _pain in my ass_ that I’ve had to deal with ever since I first met him.” Dib continued on, not aware of Matthew’s temper. “Everything he does he does it without thinking and it’s kinda annoying after a while, because suddenly you realize your credit card is missing and so is the person that had been a hermit in his own house for the past few years, and then you’re forced to go on a cross-country trip to search for said person and you find out he’s playing with the mafia for some ungodly reason—“

“Enough.” Matthew bit out, “Enough talking for fuck’s sake. Yanno I thought this was going to work out, but then I’m met with some BULLSHIT!” Matthew smacked the desk, shooting up to his feet. Dib jumped in his seat, his eyes wide.

“It’s not bullshit! I can prove it to you!”

“I don’t care!” Matthew raised his gun and Dib shut his eyes tight, but before the trigger was pulled the gun was forcefully shoved away and Matthew shot into the wall next to Dib. “What—“

“Stop it.” Avery said to him, staring directly at Matthew.

The man glared at him, “Are you really trying me right now? Don’t use your fucking abilities to—“

“If you kill him you’re wasting a golden opportunity.” Avery hissed out, “Didn’t you hear me? That man was attacking Membrane because of Saffron’s interest in him.”

Matthew paused, lowering his gun slowly and sighing.

“It doesn’t really matter who this Zim person is, in the end we have something that can help us get Saffron, and you were about to blow his brains out.”

The older man put down his gun and ran his hands through his hair, exposing a sleeve of tattoos. He looked stressed, “Saffron’s interested in this lanky pale snowflake.”

Dib sputtered, “I’m not—“ His words died away with one look from Matthew, and he folded his arms instead.

“We can use this.” Avery continued, “Dib is our key, if we play our cards right you’ll have her. All we have to do is play on her emotions.”

The room was silent after that, and Matthew took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. “We gotta keep this kid alive, then.”

“Long enough to get what we want.” Avery’s eyes went to Dib briefly. “Then you can do whatever.”

Was this really happening? Dib couldn’t understand this. Avery had stopped Dib from being killed, when he thought that Avery would have wanted to kill him himself. Yet he was only being kept alive for a single purpose. Because he was in Saffron’s sights. Dib’s hands were shaking and his throat felt dry. Is this his life now? Being used by the mafia before being discarded?

Was there a way to get himself out of this?

Matthew kept the silence for at least a few more minutes, thinking hard about his options. Avery was right, it didn’t matter what this Zim character was, alien, human, insect, he could be a fairy for all he cared. “Right.” He finally set his hands down, “Right.” His tired blue eyes finally looked down at Dib, scrutinizing him heavily. “I suppose you’re no good to me dead, your only saving grace is that you caught Saffron’s interest. Consider this your only free pass. I’ll forget whatever the fuck you said about Zim for now.” He rested his hands on the desk. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”

Dib relaxed somewhat, but he didn’t expect Matthew to whip around to punch Avery right in the gut. Avery stumbled back, hitting the wall and putting his arms over his stomach. The cigarette stayed in place, its ashes dropping to the floor. Avery took in a long inward breath through his nose.

“I told you not to use your telekinesis in front of me.” Matthew ground out, “Leave.”

Both Dib and Avery didn’t wait a second longer, and Dib was out first, looking back towards Avery as the other man shut the door behind him. Telekinesis? Was that why the bullet didn’t hit him? “T-thanks.” Dib found himself saying.

The brunette ran a hand through his unkempt hair, glaring at Dib even though the heat wasn’t behind it. “I didn’t do it for you.” He shoved past Dib and began to leave, only to stop and turn around, “Whatever spiel you had in there about aliens, I advise you not to bring it up again.”

Dib nodded, “Noted.”

With that Avery turned and continued on his way.


	6. The Calm

_“Schedule a date.”_

That was what Matthew told him during a brief two-second phone call, and Dib knew what that meant. Following that phone call he received a text with an address, which turned out to be a park. He was still laying on his bed, staring up at the phone number that Runa… _Saffron_ had given him a day ago.

He cast a wayward glance at the window, noting how the sun was just peeking out over the skyrises. His eyes then trailed along the room, seeing all these items that he wasn’t supposed to have but was goaded into buying, as if they wanted him to restart his life. He had long since missed his return flight home, and he knew he wasn’t going to get reimbursed for that any time soon. All because of Zim. None of this would have happened if Zim wasn’t such an idiot.

Though why did Zim come down here in the first place? Zim had been at home for the past few years, like a shut-in that refused to come out for anything. The change was sudden and immediate, and when he last saw Zim he had seen someone…taller. He was wearing human clothes. He wasn’t speaking in third person like he used to. What happened to him that warranted such a change?

How did he get involved with the Syndicate? How did he find Saffron? Those were other questions that he couldn’t get answers to. Was this a part of some plan to control the world, or was this just for shits-and-giggles? Did he enroll himself into the mafia just so he could rise into power and use it to overthrow governments? That sounded like a Zim thing to do. Though…nothing added up. Nothing made sense. Dib was now thrown in the mix because he wanted to catch Zim in the act, and under the Crimson Brotherhood’s watchful eyes he had no way to get out of this. If he did anything, then Avery would find out about it, Avery would tell Matthew. Matthew would tell the Twins and Brandon. He wouldn’t get far, not when there were so many eyes on him.

Now he was the most important player of this twisted little game because he had something everyone else didn’t. He had Saffron’s interest. Saffron, the wild card of the entire game that everyone seemed to want. He still didn’t understand who she was, but everyone had the same view of her. Deadly, bold, pretty, powerful, she had this whole city in her pocket yet she was only second in command. No wonder Matthew wanted her. Take out Saffron and the Syndicate was likely to crumble, right?

She was a woman with a high bounty on her head, and Dib seemed to be lucky enough to have an upper hand in this game. But could he really do this? Could he really put aside his morals and allow himself to become the bait? He didn’t know this woman and yet he felt bad for going with this stupid plan. He didn’t have a choice in this, however, nothing he’s done this past week was by choice. Everything has been for the Brotherhood and not for himself. Was this what it was like to be in a crime organization? If so then he didn’t like it. He didn’t like being on the proverbial chopping block if he had did anything to slight his boss in any way. He didn’t enjoy staring down the barrel of a gun if he had done or said anything wrong. He didn’t want to carry any kind of weapon or be someone’s target. He was having trouble getting sleep as it was.

Yet everyone else seemed to praise their jobs. Brandon was enthusiastic about working with Matthew, but he started out as a hitman already. The Twins loved being paid handsomely for taking loans and starting fires when they didn’t get them, but all they cared about was the money. Avery… he didn’t know much about Avery, he didn’t know _anything_ about Avery, only the one part that he had telekinesis. Avery Lycroft was a closed book, who had more than a handful of nameless contacts and practically knew _everything_. But did he enjoy working under Matthew like the others, or was he like Dib, someone without any choice in the matter?

He had no idea, and he doubted he was ever going to get an answer, even if he could just go up one floor and ask for it.

Dib let out a sigh, finally reaching for his phone, gazing at the cracks in the screen. He needed to get that fixed… With a glance at the number he began to dial what he was given. He let the paper flutter back down and stared at the call button, taking a deep breath and establishing the connection.

_“Hellu~”_

“Hi Runa? This is Dib.”

* * *

The woman was humming as she fixed her hair, staring at the mirror while pulling her auburn locks into a ponytail. She then focused on her eyepatch, staring at it. Should she change it for the occasion or keep the same style? She took it off, her red eye glaring at her from behind the patch and after a moment she sighed. “I can’t wear contacts like he can.” She mumbled to herself, pulling open her vanity drawer and going through her eyepatch collection. She pulled a black leather one out, lined with blue satin, that seemed fancy, right? She quickly replaced the last eyepatch, re-hiding her red eye. No one would be able to handle that, would they?

No, only one person didn’t react to that eye at all, which still stuck with her. She let out a small laugh, looking away from the mirror and going over to her closet to look for something to match the eyepatch. For a simple meeting she was acting so much like a _girl_.

The humming distracted her enough that she didn’t notice the faint shimmer of a body climb into her window, Zim creeping into the apartment and keeping himself stealthy. Though, his stealth didn’t last that long, the tendrils along Saffron’s back coming out and becoming alert. He didn’t even think they could extend that far but they did, two of them darting out towards him to shove him against the wall.

“Hey!” Zim cried out.

“Cloaking devices don’t work on a demonic entity.” Saffron said knowingly, slipping a better blouse on before turning to him. “Why are you here?”

Zim disabled his cloaking device, feeling the tendril around his wrist go lax. He raised his arm up to stare at it. “You left early, I become suspicious.”

“I have a date.” Saffron replied smoothly, smiling when he grimaced in disgust. “Don’t become the jealous type.” Even if it did flatter her, she couldn’t afford to fuck this up.

“I know the human male you’re interested in.” Zim growled out, “He’s nothing special. Just a big-headed human worm unworthy of your affections. There’s nothing about Dib that is any bit interesting! I should know!”

She tilted her head curiously, putting a finger to her lip. “You know him?”

“Of course I know him!” Zim snarled, “He’s pathetic! He’s weak! You deserve a strong warrior, a male that will protect you—“

The tendrils on his wrists tightened and pulled, dragging him faster than he could walk. Once he was in front of her they finally fell away and retreated. Saffron only regarded him silently, as if thinking. “Are all Irkens so…territorial?”

He grasped her by her arms, “We’re extremely possessive over what we claim as ours.” He moved forward to kiss her but she was faster, ducking out of the way and twisting herself out of his grasp.

“I still didn’t accept the claim, cowboy.”

“I am no cow!” Zim retorted, offended by the term. It made her laugh in earnest, amused by his lack of understanding. She idly wondered how that kind of thing would work, an alien and a demon… She had to stop herself before she got any further, remembering her plan.

Saffron went back to the closet, taking off her pants so she could find a nicer pair. “I don’t want you to follow me.” She told him. “This is a private meeting, humans call it a _date_.” She had a feeling that he wasn’t going to listen to her anyway. “If I see you there I’m not going to be happy.”

Zim had no intentions of leaving her alone with Dib of all people. “You won’t see me.” He’d hide in the trees if he’d have to.

Saffron slipped on some shorts, which showed off her legs pretty well. Zim grit his teeth, “You’re wearing that?”

She glanced back at him, smirking playfully and refusing to answer. Zim only glared at her further, hating that she was blatantly ignoring him. Oh, how he just wanted to restrain her, shove her on that bed and—

He smacked himself. “Stop it.”

Saffron slipped on her shoes and pocketed a knife, going for the umbrella that she had placed on her couch. Zim expected her to go leave out of her door, but when he looked at the front door he noticed how it was bolted shut on all four sides. He quirked an antennae at the sight, looking away. When he did, he saw that photo again. He glanced back, seeing that she left for the bathroom before making his way to the photo and picking it up.

The photo was of children, two auburn haired children with hair down to their waist, one with two red eyes and the other with one, the first one angrily pouting. She had a sister? Zim quickly put the photo down before she returned, her eye trained on him. “Are you leaving yet?”

Zim sighed, activating his cloaking device and heading for the window, using his pack legs to climb out. Instead of leaving he made his way to the roof, hanging there and waiting until he saw Saffron climb out of her window before parkouring to the next building. He kept his distance, keeping up with her as she moved.

He refused to leave her alone.

* * *

The designated area in the park was public, but private enough that hardly anyone went to that spot. It seemed to be a perfect spot for an abduction, Dib thought blandly, and while he waited at the gazebo he just knew he wasn’t alone. No, he saw their cars parked on the other side of the street as he went into the park, and he had a feeling that they were nearby. Dib didn’t put on anything special, sticking to his normal clothes. It was supposed to be a date right? He had no idea how those went, this would technically be his first one, even if it was a trap laid out by the Brotherhood.

He was sitting on the bench, tapping his nails against the wood nervously. It was something he did often either out of nervousness or out of annoyance. He grimaced slightly, moving to run his hands though his hair. How was he supposed to do this? They told him nothing else other than to call for the date. Was he supposed to play it cool? He was probably supposed to do that, act as if it wasn’t a trap that could get a person killed. What if this went wrong? What if this ended in a shoot out? Dib didn’t even have a gun! What was he supposed to do if—

His phone started to chime, and he took it out, looking down to see a text from Brandon.

_“Stop being anxious.”_

Dib looked away from the screen, sighing when there was another chime. He looked back down, only to see another message from Braiden.

_“Pretend it’s your first date.”_

“It _is_ my first date.” Dib ground out to no one in particular, hearing quiet laughter.

It wasn’t long until he saw the woman jogging over to him from the other side of the park, and he suddenly felt awkward, unable to look away from how _summery_ she had dressed herself. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t alone, smacking himself in the face and pulling on a smile. “Runa.”

“I made it as soon as I could.” She told him once she came near, flashing him a bright smile. “You really do pull off the trench coat look well.”

Dib blushed, forcing himself to look away, “Well, you’re the first to tell me that.”

“Really?” She looked amused at his bashfulness, “I would think that you’d be popular.”

He hated this, having to be here as bait. She was such a nice woman… “N-not really, I’m not all that popular at all.” He said honestly, “You’re the first woman that’s actually handed me her number.”

Saffron gasped, “No, that can’t be. You’re so handsome!”

She wasn’t making this easy for him, and he swallowed thickly, wondering when they were going to come in. “That’s sweet of you—but—“

Dib suddenly noticed Brandon walking past, holding a dog on a leash. It was rare to see Brandon without his mask on, but he supposed that the man was undercover as a regular passerby. He looked just like a dad from an old navy catalogue when you took away his lust for bloodshed. Dib did his best to pay him no mind, “So, what would you like to do? I’ve never done this before so this is new to me.”

Saffron giggled, not noticing the passerby, “Well honestly this is my first time also. I don’t really get out all that much, work gets in the way.”

Dib’s head perked, “Oh? Where do you work?”

“I told you, it’s a secret.” She said quietly, “Maybe if you’re really good I’ll share.”

Neither of them noticed the faint shimmer that was perching onto a tree branch, the Irken glaring down at the two of them with rage and hatred in his eyes. Dib was trying to move in on his territory and he wanted nothing more than to dive down onto them and tear his eyes out and present them to Saffron as a trophy of his devotion.

He had failed to notice the two men in loud looking suits moving out from the bushes across from them. Zim was too focused on Dib to see that the twin Irishmen causally strolling up to them.

Dib went still at the sight of Gillian and Braiden, white hot fear rising up his spine because he had a feeling that Saffron would try to murder him for this.

“Well well Brae, isn’t this a pleasant sight?” Braiden began, pulling on a pair of leather gloves.

“That it is Gil,” Gillian had a skip to his step, “We’ve been looking all over for ye.”

Saffron went still, turning at the sight of them. Recollection crossed her eye, but they passed right by her, over to Dib. She suddenly felt confused, looking back at Dib.

“Oh—uh—“ Dib opened his mouth only to shut it again, “You two—“

“We told you we’d come back for that money, didn’t we?” Braiden rested one elbow on Dib’s shoulder while Gillian mirrored his twin. Dib looked entirely flustered, unable to speak.

Saffron glared at the two of them, “What do you want with him?”

“Ah, fair lass, ye shouldn’t be here.” Gillian clicked his tongue, “We only want a word with Dibbles here.”

“Just a few words, _alone_.”

Dib was wondering what they were doing, pretending to act dumb just for the sake of it, “I don’t even know—“

“Did you borrow money from them?” Saffron asked outright.

“Maybe?” Dib’s voice went up a few octaves, “Why?”

She groaned, “You’re not from here.” She looked to the twins, “He’s not from here, you can’t do this.”

“What makes you the boss of us girlie?” Braiden grinned, “All we want is our money.”

“They’re the O’Brien twins!” Saffron cried out, “They’re loan sharks for the Crimson Brotherhood!”

“I didn’t know that!” Dib cried out, panicking once he saw Brandon appear behind them, wearing his black skull mask. He pulled out his own silenced pistol and pressed it against Saffron’s head. The woman went still.

“Very nice to see you here, Saffron.” Drawled Brandon, “Now if you don’t want your pretty little brains splattered all over your boyfriend, then come with us.”

The woman remained frozen still, her eye gazing at Braiden and then Gillian, both twins grinning mischievously and moving away from Dib. “Perfect, innit Brae?” Braiden spoke up first.

“This is something that’ll earn us a bonus, we finally have Saffron.” Gillian reached out and slapped Dib’s back, “Good work, I’m sure the boss will give ye a cut too.”

The fact that they were acting so chummy with Dib now didn’t pass by Saffron’s notice, the woman’s eye resting on Dib’s still panicked face, her eye narrowing as she hissed out, “You work for them?” She ground out.

Dib held his hands up, “I didn’t plan this—“

“He’s right, Saffron.” Braiden smiled, “It was all Lycroft’s idea. You remember Lycroft, do you?”

The mention of Avery seemed to have set her off even further, but before she could lash out Brandon pressed the barrel of the gun against her cranium.

“You can thank your brother when you go see Matthew, _Runa_.”

Dib’s eyes widened, “Avery’s your _brother_?”

Saffron grit her teeth, refusing to say anything while Braiden and Gillian got on either side of her to usher the woman to their car.

Zim stared at them, his hands twitching. He could go down there now, he could stop this, but not while that human had a gun to Saffron’s head. He began to panic, internally screaming as he watched them get into the bigger car. “FUCK!” He finally leapt down from the tree, staring at the back of the car before turning away and heading the opposite direction.

He needed Domino.

* * *

“You see, the Crimson Brotherhood used to be the big attraction to all the crime organizations. Matthew Drake practically owned the city. It was his Empire, and those who played by his rules got to live in that Empire. But it wasn’t just Matthew, as he had picked up a pair of twin runaways from outside the state. They were different than the ones he already has on hand, they held some kind of ability. Their names were Avery and Runa, a brother and his sweet innocent sister. The two of them joined Matthew without hesitation, and both were exceptional at their jobs. It didn’t take them long to rise up in his ranks, and while Avery became the top of the informational ladder, Runa had become the secret keeper. Though, Runa had become more than the secret keeper, she had become Matthew’s lover on top of that. He was devoted to her.

Enter Domino L’Herroux. He was a two-bit thief that weaseled his way into the Brotherhood by his own talents alone. He carried with him a silver tongue and nimble fingers, able to talk his way into and out of anything. Matthew thought nothing of him, and that was where he went wrong. Domino wasn’t pleased with how Matthew was running things, he wanted to do things differently. He wanted to take that power and use it for better purposes. He took it upon himself to go for Matthew’s weakest point, which was Runa herself. He talked her into betraying Matthew for him, and with all of the secrets she had in her pocket, her betrayal was enough to cripple the Crimson Brotherhood. The two of them deflected and created the Syndicate, which grew quickly because of all the information that Runa had at her disposal. It wasn’t long until the scales had tipped to the Syndicate’s advantage, and within years that power had shifted away from Matthew and towards Domino. She began going by Saffron ever since.”

It was a lot for him to take in, yet it put everything into perspective. Zim’s eyes went from Damien and back to Domino, who had his chin in his hands, staring directly at Zim.

“And you said a pair of twins picked her up.” He finally spoke.

“Don’t forget the man in the mask.”

“Brandon Lark.” Damien said, “He’s known as the Undertaker. No one has ever seen him without his mask, no one knows what the man looks like aside from those within the Brotherhood. People only know that if they see that mask, then they’re marked for death.”

“The twins are Braiden and Gillian O’Brien. They’re a pair of arsonists with charisma up to their eyeballs. Matthew employs them as his loan sharks. Everyone knows that if the two aren’t paid what they are owed then whatever they love is goin’ to go up in flames.” Zet continued. “Though the thing about those twins is, they’re loyal to only one person, an’ she’s not Matthew.”

“To get to the twins you need to get to Monday Recktenwald.” Damien went to a drawer to take out a folder, flipping though the photos and taking one out. “They’re in love with the girl, would do anything for her. Kill, die, as long as she’s safe. They’re only there for _her_.”

Zim frowned, “Why is the female there in the first place?”

“Matthew wanted a secretary that was good at keeping her mouth shut. She’s easily frightened and she knows what he’s capable of. He’s using her to keep the twins under his thumb, because he knows they’ve grown to care for her.” Damien took the photos of Braiden and Gillian out, placing it under Monday’s photo.

“What about the brother?”

“Avery…” Damien trailed off, “He’s volatile and a wild card. No one can predict his moves and it’s hard to know what he’s thinking.”

“But he’s just like Saffron.” Zet added in.

“A demon.” Zim guessed, folding his arms. “What does Matthew plan to do with her?”

Domino sighed, “It’s unknown to what he’s going to do, they were very close at one point, and he’s someone that doesn’t forget past transgressions. Given their history, he might not kill her right away, but I have a feeling that he’ll use her as a bargaining chip.”

“Everyone in the Brotherhood assume Saffron and Domino were lovers at some point.”

“Even though it never _got_ to that point.” Domino interjected.

Zim couldn’t stop rubbing his palms along his thighs. He wanted to leave immediately and go hunt Matthew down. “I don’t really care for sitting around and doing nothing. Not while they have her.”

“Saffron’s perfectly safe, this is going as well as I wanted it to.”

Zim lifted his head to stare at Domino, “Eh?”

Domino stood up from his table to go to the one-way mirror, looking down onto the club below. “The pieces are all in place, all I’m doing is waiting for the Queen’s call.”

Zim shot to his feet, “What the hell are you talking about? We should be leaving right now!”

Damien pulled him back down, “Domino knows what he’s doing.”

“If Domino knows what he’s doing then I really wouldn’t mind knowing about the doing he’s knowing about.”

There was a slight pause while everyone processed what the fuck Zim just said, and Domino turned around. “You did your part already, Zanthony.” Domino told him, “You followed her like she knew you would.”

Zim didn’t understand what he was saying, “Why aren’t we—“

The phone in the room started to ring, and Zim quickly shut his mouth. Domino stepped over to his desk, picking up the receiver. “L’Herroux speaking.”

There was a long drawn out silence, and Domino turned away from them, “What do you want? … If you wish to do this I want us to meet on neutral ground. … Warehouse 21 at the pier.… Alright, fine, just don’t hurt her.”

Everyone watched him hang up after that, and Domino switched his gaze over to the only one who hadn’t said a word yet, Crux. “They’ll be away from the Hotel, I want you to lure out Recktenwald.”

“Yeh want explosives or fire?” Crux asked, grinning madly.

“Don’t use either of those, if the hotel is damaged he’ll know about it immediately.” Domino snapped his fingers, “I want you in a suit, no one’s seen you before.”

The man nodded, stroking his hand over his bald scalp before heading for the door. “Time to be snazzy.”

As soon as Crux was gone Domino’s eyes went to Zet. “Bring out Monroe, she’s more than enough to take care of Lark.”

Zet stood up slowly, “Monroe?”

“You heard me.” He pointed her to the door, and Zet quickly left. “Damien, we’re heading to the pier, make sure you get in unseen. Inform everyone they’re not to move without my order.” When Damien left his eyes went to Zim. “You’re special. I want you with me.”

Zim stood up, “You’re bringing me in?” He didn’t know how he felt about that. Not even his Tallests considered him important enough to bring in on the frontlines of a mission, and here he was, being requested personally by Domino to assist him in this precarious situation. “Why me?” He couldn’t help but ask, given how much of a rookie he was at the moment.

“Because Sapphire told me your little secret.” Domino smirked, stepping forward.

Zim felt his breathing stop. “My—secret?”

Domino’s back straightened and he folded his arms, staring down at him. “Never expected to run into you on this planet, but you’ve proven yourself to be better than the reputation that preceded you.”

Zim wondered what was going on, why did it feel like time had stopped. Though, before he knew it Domino’s own human visage fell away and he was staring straight at an Irken, as tall as his Tallests with piercing violet eyes and dark green skin. The bare arms that Domino had before were now tattooed, dual stripes encircling his biceps. He knew those tattoos anywhere.

“You’re—“

Just like that the disguise had returned and Domino’s human form took over his visage, the man grinning down at him. “Matthew doesn’t believe in aliens.” He said knowingly.

Zim finally realized why Domino had such a presence that equalled his Tallests in power. It was because he was trained to become one of them. The Renegade Tallest, he was called, an Irken that decided to betray his Empire and flee before he was captured and deleted. No one knew what had happened to him after that, many said that he died struggling to live, others assumed that he fled to create a resistance. Dom, Domino, the name was the same no matter what you thought of it. No wonder he rose into power the way he did, he was more than an Irken, he was a presence, a force of nature that could crush you without even batting an eye, and in the same breath he could bring you up from the ashes and reignite the flames inside your soul.

He wasn’t just dealing with a powerful Irken.

He was dealing with a titan.

Suddenly Zim realized that everything he’d been working for was now culminating towards this very moment. This was the biggest and final chance to impress his leader. Domino was placing Zim at his side for a reason, and it was up to Zim to make sure that his decision wasn’t something he would come to regret. He felt a swelling of pride within his squeedily-spooch and his back straightened, saluting the man before him as if he were back in the Armada.

“I’m ready.”


	7. The Storm

Warehouse 21 was on the line between the Syndicate and the Crimson Brotherhood’s hold. Neither had claimed the area just in case of incidents where negotiations were to take place. Neither boss trusted the other, so they were customary to take a single person alongside them. What Matthew didn’t know was that Domino had called for more than one person, and they were all lying in wait.

Though, what Domino didn’t know was that Matthew didn’t like to play his odds, and his own men were brought as well. His “one person” were the twins, which he counted as one person, given who they were.

Dib didn’t like the fact that he was expected to gun down people. He wasn’t a fighter, not in the slightest. He definitely wasn’t a murderer. Though there he was, hidden behind a crate waiting for a signal with one of the faceless many that Matthew brought with him.

Matthew stood in the middle of the warehouse, Gillian holding a tied and gagged Saffron while Braiden held a machine gun. The two, of course, were always grinning.

Hidden in the rafters was Brandon, holding a sniper rifle and waiting for his signal.

Zim sucked in a breath as he and Domino left the vehicle, the two of them silently making their way inside the warehouse. Domino looked calm and collected, something that Zim admired. Even under pressure, he never bat an eyelash. Zim felt jumpy, nervous. It wasn’t until he saw Saffron that his nerves hit him. “Saffron!” He cried before Domino smacked his arm.

Saffron didn’t look too concerned, glancing at the man that was holding her. Gillian had a gun to her back so she didn’t have room to complain.

Matthew smiled like a toothy shark, “Nice to see you, Domino. I see that you’re bringing in someone new.”

Domino smiled, “I see that you’re bending the rules as always, Matthew. Two men isn’t exactly one person.”

“They’re interchangeable, I count them as one.” The man kept his toothy grin, “I believe I’m the one with all the power here, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair before him. “I would like to make a deal.”

Domino looked at the chair, moving to sit down only when Matthew sat in his. “I’ve also come with a deal in mind.” He crossed his legs, and Zim only stood to the side, his claws twitching. Domino had given him strict orders not to act until he is called and was restraining himself.

Matthew rested his elbows on his knees. “The deal is simple, you hand over your shares of the city and I won’t blow off poor Runa’s head. I’m done with letting you play king, it’s now time to go back to being a thief.”

Domino quirked a brow, “You’ve let the power go to your head Matthew, now, I have a counter offer.”

The man looked amused, “Whatever would that be?”

Up above, Brandon was aiming his sniper rifle, the crosshairs landing on Domino’s head. His finger was on the trigger, waiting for the signal. He was so focused on the shot he failed to notice the woman that had set up on the opposite end of the rafters. Her sniper rifle was trained on him, and with a sadistic grin she pulled the trigger, the shot barreling forward and ripping through Brandon’s shoulder. The man nearly dropped his gun, firing a shot that hit outside the warehouse’s doors. Neither boss noticed the missed shot, but Zim was able to pick it up. He stared out the doors, quirking a brow before turning his attention back to the twins.

“My deal to you is, you hand over Saffron.”

There was a beat of silence as Matthew was waiting for a second part to that deal, only to get nothing. “Is that it?” He asked.

“That’s it.” Domino said smoothly, “Hand over Saffron.”

The man barked out a laugh, one that reverberated through the acoustics of the building. “Funny, very funny. You don’t have any ground to stand on, Domino.” Matthew pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. “I’m holding all the cards.”

“You may be holding all the cards, Matthew, but we’re playing Chess.” Domino snapped his fingers, and the cigarette that was in Matthew’s hand was shot, bursting into tobacco shavings. Matthew’s head whipped up and he glared at Domino.

“I knew you wouldn’t play by the rules.” The man ground out, “Braiden.”

As Braiden put his gun towards Runa’s chest, Domino shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that.” He snapped his fingers again and the twins could hear a woman’s cry.

“Braiden!”

Crux had walked out with Monday in his grasp, holding a knife to her throat. The twins stopped whatever they were going to do, Braiden lowering his gun at the sight of her.

Matthew’s eye twitched, “Braiden, I gave you an order.”

“You really shouldn’t follow orders from Matthew if you want to keep your pretty girl from being harmed.” Domino countered.

Braiden kept his gun still, but his eyes were on Monday. She stared at him pleadingly, her own gray eyes full of hope. Crux wasn’t really going to harm her, he told her that if she behaved then things would go by smoothly. All she wanted were her boys out of Matthew’s pocket.

The gun that Gillian had trained on Saffron’s back also lowered, and Saffron smiled though her gag.

The lack of response from either of his twins got under Matthew’s skin quickly, and the man let out a shout. “You have too many hangups!” He raised his gun towards Monday but before he could fire, a bullet shot from the rafters and hit Matthew’s hand. He let out a scream of rage, glaring heatedly at Domino.

The man kept sitting there casually, not disturbed by anything. “Someone’s losing their cool.”

“LARK!” Matthew screamed at the top of his lungs, turning his gaze up to the rafters.

“Lark’s out of commission.”

As Domino said that the body of Brandon Lark had tipped over the rafters and fallen to the floor in a heap.

Matthew felt a bolt of ice shoot up his spine, staring at the lifeless body, his right eye twitching. “All the work I do for you and this is the thanks I get?” He turned his rage onto the twins. “You should be doing as I say!”

Gillian finally let go of Saffron, “We only cared about the money.”

“Aye, it’s Daye that we stayed for.” Braiden shoved Saffron towards them. Zim darted out to retrieve her but Matthew was faster, grasping her arm and out of a surge of desperation he pulled a knife to her throat.

“This isn’t OVER!” He shouted out, spitting vitriol. “I have men all around this warehouse. You’re not coming out of this alive!”

Domino smiled, “You’re not the only one with men.” He snapped his fingers again and whoever was hiding in their spots were quickly wrangled out by another person from Domino’s gang. Even Dib was forced out, being held at gunpoint by Damien.

“To be honest, I was forced into this.” Dib blurted out, making Damien snort in amusement.

“You don’t look the type.” Said the man.

Matthew could feel all of his cards crumbling all around him, staring at Domino like he was some unholy curse that ran a plague through his entire life. He doubled down on his desperation, knowing at least that he had one last ace in the hole. “I still have Avery.” He hissed out, “AVERY!”

Domino only chuckled, “Do you really have Avery?” The man smiled, watching as Avery came out from the shadows, holding his own weapon, but instead of going to Matthew’s side he went to Domino’s. “He’s been a very good help to me, for instance I wouldn’t have done all of this without him.” He gestured to the entire team.

Matthew’s eye twitched even more, “Y-y-you’re a SPY?”

Avery smirked, “It helps having a boss that doesn’t abuse you when he’s in a bad mood.” He pocketed his gun, folding his arms. “Do you honestly think that I’d willingly betray my own family?”

Matthew stepped back, dragging Saffron with him. He was outnumbered and surrounded. His eyes darted to the open door, to the pier, then back to Saffron, who wasn’t so much as struggling, eyeing Matthew with amusement. “This was all a trap.” He said in sudden realization. “This entire thing was a set up.”

“This city isn’t your Empire anymore, Matthew.” Domino said calmly, “I’m the new Queen, and you’re nothing but a pawn. Consider this your dethroning.”

Zim’s hands were still twitching, keeping an eye on the knife that was to Saffron’s neck. Though, he noticed that she didn’t look concerned at all, and he was able to see the tendrils again that snaked around Matthew’s wrist to force the knife away from her neck. Matthew knew what was happening as it happened and he snarled. “You’re not using that shit on me!” He ripped his arm away from the tendril and swiftly stabbed her in her abdomen.

Saffron’s eyes went wide and she collapsed when Matthew shoved her away, booking it out of the warehouse and towards the dock. Domino quickly got out of the chair to tend to Saffron. “Zim.”

That was all Zim needed, and the Irken sprinted after Matthew. They were getting dangerously close to the water but the only thing on Zim’s mind was tearing Matthew’s head off. Matthew ran until there wasn’t any more room to go, half-tempted to jump into the water and swim to safety, though before he could even attempt it Zim barreled into him, slamming Matthew onto the dock and turning him around so the man could face him.

Matthew glared up at him, “As if a rookie like you can do anything, don’t you see, Domino’s using you.”

Zim narrowed his eyes, grasping Matthew around his neck and squeezing. “You stabbed my female, so I’m going to return the favor.” From behind, Zim’s pack legs appeared and spread out, poising over him threateningly, each tip of them as sharp as a knife. The longer Matthew stared the more Zim grinned, his human visage fading to reveal his Irken form. The man underneath him screamed.

Dib was right, Dib was right! He wasn’t full of shit!

Though, Matthew didn’t get a chance to think any further before Zim bludgeoned the man with his pack legs, tearing into the human until his life functions had ceased. Zim was left covered in blood, glaring distastefully at the body and standing up to kick him into the water. Drops of the backsplash fell onto Zim’s skin and sizzled, a slight pain coming to where the droplets fell but he paid it no mind, reactivating his disguise and turning to hurry back to the warehouse.

Saffron was in Domino’s arms while Avery was checking the wound, using a part of his shirt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. “She’ll live.” He said simply. “We’ve gone through worse.”

“Then all we have to do is take care of the leftovers.” Domino’s eyes roamed the warehouse to all the men they had uncovered, settling his eyes on Damien and Dib. “Bring him over.” Domino commanded, and Damien didn’t hesitate, walking Dib over to the three of them.

“Can someone tell me what just happened?” Dib asked amidst his confusion.

Domino smirked, “You’re Dib Membrane, yes?”

The man nodded, “Yeah…”

Domino went over to him and put his hand on the other’s shoulder, “You played your part perfectly.”

That didn’t help him become less confused. “Excuse me?”

“Getting you into the Crimson Brotherhood was my idea.” Avery headed over to him, “Domino had been looking for a way to get to Matthew but the man never left the Hotel for his own safety, Runa and I were each other’s secret contacts, we shared every bit of information that was gathered but it was all for Domino’s gain. When Runa uncovered your name from the Hotel room Zim was staying in we didn’t expect for you to actually arrive in the city to check on what he had done, but we knew instantly that you were our chance to get to him.”

Saffron felt the wound at her side, smiling apologetically at Dib, “Sorry but I kinda used you for our own purposes…and since Zim was so…”

“Possessive.”

“ _Protective_ of me, I had a feeling he’d attack you and follow me to our meetup spot. I apologize for getting you mixed up into this but you were a detrimental piece to making this plan work.”

Zim caught the tail-end of the conversation, and Domino could see by the amount of blood on his person that he had _fun_. “We didn’t expect the plan to work as well as it did, it was a last minute idea.”

“My ideas always work.” Avery said confidently. “You owe me for keeping you from getting killed, by the way.”

Dib couldn’t believe that this whole time he was being used. He felt angry at the fact that he was pulled into such a dangerous mission, had his emotions toyed with and nearly lost his life. “I think I’m the one who deserves compensation.” He glared at Avery, “Given that I nearly lost my life twice.”

“Eh?” Zim went over to Saffron, turning her around, “So your affections for the Dib-thing—“

The woman smiled at him, “Totally fake.”

The Irken felt a wave of relief wash over him, “So you and I—“

The woman hooked her arms around his shoulders, “If I did anything to return your claim on me then the plan wouldn’t have worked so well.” She smirked.

Zim couldn’t help himself, leaning forward to capture the woman’s lips into a strong kiss. She only giggled, leaning into it.

Even if it was fake Dib still felt downcast, sighing. He looked towards Braiden and Gillian, who were huddled around Monday. “What’s going to happen to them?”

Domino smiled slowly, “I may have to shift Sapphire’s duties, they already know how to handle debt collecting, I doubt they won’t mind the change in superiors.”

Dib sighed, “Does this mean I can go back home?”

“I could always use a hacker under my payroll,” Domino said then, “and I promise not to try and kill you based on the mood I’m in.” He grinned playfully, “If you’d like, I could help you transfer your college credits to one in the city. I know a fare share of people in Bycoast.”

Dib went still, was the man really offering to do that much for him? “I…” He felt at a loss. He already had something going on, but what he was being offered was a paying job and the chance to go to college without having to worry about financial aid. Was he really willing to go through being in a crime organization though? “Do I have to kill people?” Dib asked wearily.

“Your hands can remain clean, I only want what you can give me. You won’t even have to associate yourself with the Syndicate, everything will remain anonymous and you’ll be paid for your work.”

That actually sounded like a good deal, but he needed to go back home before doing anything. “Can I get back to you in a week about that?”

Domino smiled, “I’ll have Damien give you my personal number.”

Damien grinned, watching a woman approach them. She looked deathly pale, black hair that was cut at an angle, her violet eyes trained on Domino. Over her shoulder was a sniper rifle. “What do we do with the bodies?” The woman asked.

Dib looked over at the woman, and Domino chuckled, “You know what to do with them, Monroe.”

The woman grinned madly, “I have my knives.” With that she turned and left.

“Who’s that?” Dib wondered.

“Zianete Monroe.” Domino grinned at how eager she looked, “She’s…” He tried to find the right words for it, “Let’s just say she’s unique.”

Damien laughed, “Zet must be watching over the club.”

“She’s not for bloodshed.”

“She makes weapons, how is she not for bloodshed?”

Domino didn’t answer that, looking back over at Zim and Saffron, who were still making out. He sighed wistfully, “I suppose I should set my sights elsewhere.” He mumbled to himself, turning his eyes back to Dib and regarding him silently.

Damien snaked his arm around Domino’s shoulder until he caught the man staring at him, “Come on.” He grinned suggestively.

Domino took a hold of Damien’s wrist and unhooked the man’s arm from him. “No.”

What was left of Matthew’s men were sorted out between the rest. Damien was in charge of separating the willing from the unwilling. With Matthew and Brandon gone, and the Twins having shown their loyalties, the Crimson Brotherhood was more than crippled. It meant that Domino was now the owner of the Hotel Rosalia, and what was left of the Crimson Brotherhood was swept under the rug to make way for the Syndicate’s control.

It was amazing what a single person could do when they’re given an exploit, yet Domino wasn’t any ordinary person. Domino was an Irken that was trained to be a leader and a diplomat. He was a force to be reckoned with, and in a way, Zim thought, Domino was the one who was conquering the planet; something Zim could only dream about.

Though, taking over Earth wasn’t his priority anymore. He had more than proved himself as a competent soldier. Domino had known who Zim was when Zim was at his worst, and in the span of two weeks Zim had given him an image of someone other than the royal fuckup that the Tallests had abandoned. He finally had what he wanted. Power, recognition from his superiors, and the female he had been chasing down.

He wanted to thank the Tallests for what they have done.

They’ve given him a second chance at redemption.

* * *

“So you came here because your leaders devalued you.”

Saffron was only in a tank top and shorts, heading over to the bed she and Zim were sharing. In her hands was a juice box. She fumbled with the straw, stabbing it so she could take a sip.

Zim was resting on his back, only in his pants. He glanced up at her and smiled slightly. “It would be put into better perspective if you knew me before I came here.”

She folded her legs, “Let me guess…you weren’t all that hot.” She smiled playfully, reaching over to feel his antennae again. It was something she liked to do, as it elicited such a good response. Before Zim could lose himself he caught her wrist, giving her a warning glare.

“Do you really want me to jump you?”

She kept her smile. “Do you have any regrets?”

He sighed, knowing she’d stay on topic. “Not really… I was the cause of everything bad that happened and I had no one else to blame. I used to blame all my fuckups on someone else but somehow I became lucid enough to point out my flaws.” He had to wonder if that was brought on by a flaw in his circuitry. “I’m no longer an Invader, the Irken Empire doesn’t matter to me anymore, I have a place in this one.”

“Domino is a good leader.” Saffron agreed, “I didn’t like how Matthew was doing everything either, and he gave me an out. I went with him and took the secrets with us. Avery stayed so we could take over from the inside.”

Zim quirked an antennae, “I never knew you had a brother.”

“Talking about him would have ruined everything.” She took another sip of her juice box, leaning back against the headboard. “So, what are you going to do now?”

Zim grinned at her, “Whatever I damn well want to do.”

She glanced at him, finally putting the jukebox aside to roll over and straddle his hips. “Will your old leaders try to contact you again?”

“They want nothing to do with me.”

* * *

Somewhere, up in the galaxy, the Massive was in crisis.

And it would be all Zim’s fault.


End file.
